Lost Magic: First Contact
by MightyFish
Summary: A man is left trapped in time, while his world dies around him. Now awakened in the distant future, he leaves the planet of his birth and embarks on a journey to find that which was lost. But the new frontier holds many dangers, and the human race is about to face its first great challenge. A HP/ME crossover. Slow pace, rated M for safety, my profile has more details.
1. Prologue: Leaving The Past Behind

Traditional disclaimer:

I do not own the rights to either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This story is written merely for my own pleasure, no monetary profit is intended.

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**Prologue**

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**Leaving The Past Behind**

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"_There was nothing left."_

The young man stood upon the narrow, tortuous trail, the last vestige of what used to be a wide and well-kept road. Directly in front of him where the rusted remnants of once beautiful gates, wrought iron shaped in elegant patterns, connecting thick walls of gray stone, now partially collapsed. Beyond the gates, and all around him, thick grass grew untamed, covering the landscape all the way to the dense forest on the right, down to the large lake to the left, and even creeping upon the great ruins a small distance away. The ruins of what was once a magnificent castle, a bastion of power, a mighty fortress, a center of learning.

A home.

He knew it was time to leave this place, he _was_ leaving, but then he turned around, just outside the walls, to gaze one last time upon the fallen structure, and now he just could not bring himself to move on. Not yet. So he just stood there, looking to the ruins of his past, seeing images that where just a few months old but, at the same time, more than a hundred years gone. A gentle, warm wind swept through the hills and the setting sun painted the sky red, as the memories of busy days on the library and lazy afternoons on the lawn assaulted him. Memories of laughter and happiness, of loyalty and honor, of friendship and love.

"_There was nothing left."_

There were other memories, of course, dark ones. Of prejudice and hate, of pain and sorrow, of war and death. But those, too, where long past now. Faded beyond the recollection of all but himself. Nothing but ruins upon a grassy hill, just like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The impenetrable walls had fallen; the high towers were no more. Countless hour spent carefully excavating the rubble had yielded many things; furniture, portraits, tapestries, trophies, armor pieces, clothes, cleaning utensils, lab equipment, books, cutlery, and hundreds of other odds and ends. Some still intact, most broken, torn, smashed or rusted.

The great building's fall had not been fast or sudden, but by the time it came there was no reason for its former inhabitants to preserve much.

The soft crackling of branches and rustle of leaves brought his attention to the forest. It was once called the Forbidden Forest, a dark and dangerous place. A place of powerful and wild things. The very air was heavy with primal energies, and if one would stop and listen to the wind, one could almost hear the whispers of shadowy secrets. Now it was no less old, no less dense, no less dark, and little different than hundreds of similar woods in the world. The power was gone, the strange and wondrous creatures replaced by common ones.

His mind left distant memories and came to more recent ones. To the many days and nights spent walking beneath those trees, looking, searching, and desperately hoping to find something, _anything_, all in vain. Sure, there were signs. Empty nests, vestiges of habitations. Just enough proof to reassure him that his memories of the place were not a dream.

Searching the dark waters of the lake yielded no better results. The crumbled ruins of the people that used to live in the depths told him no answers that he could understand.

This trail of though finally allowed him to turn his back to the castle, observing instead the village that could be seen in the valley below. Unlike the school, it was not completely destroyed. Ravaged somewhat by time, yes, but still standing. Though he could not honestly decide if ruins would have been any worse. Shops that were once full of customers, selling the most fantastic things, were now closed and boarded. Households were abandoned. The old pub, so full of laughter and warmth, was now empty. It had been there, in that ghost town called Hogsmead, that he had found the first clues. Old newspapers, diaries, letters. Not enough to tell him the whole story, but enough to paint a hideous picture.

"_There was nothing left."_

He took a deep breath, turning his face to the slowly darkening sky, where stars could already be seen. He had to briefly fight the now familiar feeling of despair. It came from time to time, when his memories became too much. It was far easier now, though, to get a hold of himself. Much, much better than it was at the beginning, many months ago, when he first awoke to this new reality. When he first realized that all he knew was gone. Those had been dark days. Darker, in many ways, than the days of the war. He learned then that there were different kinds of helplessness, different kinds of despair. He believed he knew what it felt to be without hope, to face impossible odds. To be cast into the deep end, hands and feet bound, and be expected to swim. He was wrong.

He was good at that, he knew. Tolerating pain. Staying in the fight. Surviving against that which could, _should_, have ended him. He had done that all his life. Put him into a corner, give him an impossible challenge, and where most would desist or break, he would endure. It was, he knew, what ultimately allowed his victory during the war. He faced so many enemies that were more powerful, experienced, or with far more resources. Yet he always survived, and eventually was able to fight back, and win. It was his gift and also his curse. Because no victory was without loss, without sacrifice. And many times others would pay the price for his survival.

With one last look behind him, the young man started to trek down the dwindling path, finally moving away from the castle. The old road used to border woods that were not directly connected to the Forbidden Forest, and therefore not nearly as dangerous. Now those woods sometimes crossed over the path, young trees growing unfettered along the trail. It had its own beauty, he could see. Long shadows stretched lazily along the path, the song of birds filling the twilight. It was tempting to forget his grim thoughts and simply enjoy the sensation of peace. But in the end he could not help himself. As his feet carried him over the fallen leaves, his mind once more drifted to the past.

After the war ended, he knew the danger had not passed. Although his most powerful foe had been defeated, many of the followers escaped. The broken system that allowed them to exist was still in place, and could not be changed overnight. Of those who suffered, many chose to consider the whole affair done. They were more than ready to move on with their lives, and forget about the darkness, which had been the same attitude that led to their troubles in the first place. He and his remaining allies tried to fight that sentiment, to remind the people that it was not yet time to let their guards down, that changes had to be made, and made fast. But it had been a lost cause.

He had resigned himself to a life of constant vigilance, as one of his mentors would often say. At any moment, the supporters of the old regime could try and reestablish their position. Someone could try and exact some revenge. He was no longer an unprepared child. The threat of torture and death to himself and, more importantly, to his loved ones, forced him to grow and become strong. And he had. Through will and hardship, he became stronger than any of his peers. A few years after the war, no one in the world would match against him carelessly.

But defeated and humiliated people were capable of horrifying acts.

He remembered every minute of that night. The frantic call for help, the desperate run to lowest levels of the Ministry. The attackers counted on the element of surprise and it worked. By the time he and the others arrived, the invaders had been entrenched. They were ready and willing to fight to the end, the last holdouts from his old enemies, led by a woman drove mad with the desire for vengeance. Yet they had not been prepared to the harshness of his response. Pure luck, or some would say fate, had played a great part in his victory during the war. In the intervening years, that luck had been replaced by skill.

They were defeated much sooner than either side expected, but not soon enough. The ritual had been completed. It was meant to cause great destruction, to serve as a symbol of terror and a rallying point to those who would see the return of darkness. But when you dabbled in primal and forgotten arts, one could never predict the consequences, and the consequences of that night would cost them everything.

When the darkness engulfed his vision, the desperate call of his friends as if a world away, he thought it was the end. One could tempt fate for only so long, after all. As the last vestiges of consciousness left him, he believed death had finally won. But it was not to be as once more his curse would see him survive, sequestered in a dark limbo, suspended in time, while outside his world slowly crumbled.

After waking up, and finally understanding what had happened, he never wished so much for death.

"_There was nothing left." _

In the end there had been no victors, only victims. The Sundering, as he learned it had been named, destroyed his entire people. Everyone he knew, gone, friends and enemies alike. And not only his own people, but every other race who shared in their nature. One and half a century later, nothing but the skeleton of their world was left, just shadows and ghosts. And all his power and skill was for nothing now, because there was no enemy to defeat, not a fortress to assault or a bastion to defend.

Still he was able to use his hard won knowledge to traverse the strange new reality he found himself in, looking for answers. He managed to keep a semblance of rationality while he searched through places both familiar and new. When the full scope of the tragedy that befell his people revealed itself however, only that unyielding core of stubbornness kept him from joining the ghosts. He honestly did not know how he survived those weeks. It had all been a daze, in truth. When he was finally able to push the despair away, most of the time at least, he started collecting every last scrap of his people's legacy that he could find.

And as he rounded a corner of the trail and beheld the sight in front of him, he was once again reminded that, although his world had ended, there was another world, an even bigger one, that kept going. Behind him was a shard of the past, even though bereft of much of its old power. In front of him was the future.

A great city of concrete, glass and steel stood from the middle of the Scottish Highlands. Just a little beyond what were once farmlands, magnificent skyscrapers rose to the heights, some piercing the very clouds. The night had almost completely covered the world, and the light show was breathtaking. Amongst the lights of the elegant buildings, many other lights danced around. Some on the ground, but many in the air, floating speedily in what that at first glance appeared to be utter chaos.

As the power of his own world vanished, the power of the common man over nature continued to evolve, to the point where they could finally start to heal the damage done by themselves in their younger years. There was still a very long way to go, of course, and Earth was still rife with problems. But humanity was changing, becoming a little wiser, a little less prone to turn against their world and each other.

And just a few years earlier, they had found the legacy of another people, a much older and advanced one. And _that_ had been a surprise when he found out.

As he watched, one of the tiny specks of light started to go higher, higher even then the tallest of buildings. It went beyond the very edge of the sky and up into the stars. Humanity new found power reawakened the spirit of exploration. Fantastic new horizons opened up, and people everywhere were eager to dive into the unknown. The young man put a hand in his pocket and pulled out a rectangular piece of plastic, barely larger than his hand. With a touch, it lit up, colorful images covering the surface. It was an advertisement, a call to explore and settle new worlds, far away amongst the stars. He pressed some points, and the image changed to that of a digital receipt. A proof-of-purchase of a one-way ticket.

He had made the decision some time ago. The last couple of weeks had been spent in preparation, and if he was honest, procrastination. But he could delay no longer, it was time. He pocketed the plastic screen and breathed deeply, the scent of trees and grass filling him. The cold wind caressed his skin, and his other, higher senses could feel the last vestiges of power in this place, that even now protected the ruins of his people from the rest of the world, even if there was no one left to hide.

Night had fallen completely now. He gave one last look to the hill rising above the treetops. To the barely visible remains of the place that had been his first true home, the house of his best memories. For a moment he stood there, in the middle of two realities. The old and the new; the secret and the apparent; the mystical and the scientific.

The dead and the living.

There was nothing more left for him there, nothing but memories. And he could no longer linger in the shadow of a dead world. He would go as far away as he could from the vestiges of his past, and in this new age he could go very far away indeed.

"Farewell."

With that one word, Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Man-Who-Won, and the Last-Wizard-On-Earth adjusted the backpack on his shoulders, filled with far more than most could ever imagine. With a small twist of his body, and a nearly inaudible crack, he vanished, now on his way to the stars.


	2. Chapter 1: The Oncoming Storm

Traditional disclaimer:

I do not own the rights to either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is written merely for my own pleasure, no monetary profit is intended.

*Update 2015/02/04 - Just fixing some typos and adjusting the format.

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**Chapter 01**

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**The Oncoming Storm**

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"Samesh, come down, breakfast is ready."

"Just ten minutes mother, I'm finishing something here."

"I made your favorite."

"I'm coming!"

Avani sent an amused look at her daughter, who just rolled her eyes as she finished putting the dishes on their small kitchen table.

"Sometimes I swear his brain is somewhere near his stomach."

The mother shook her head, suppressing a smile. "Now dear, be nice to your brother, he is just in that growing phase."

"Yeah, right." She snorted. "I bet he will marry a chef or something, you mark my words."

Now Avani did not bother pretending and just giggled. Little Samesh chose that moment to come into the kitchen and immediately sat at his chair, face expectant, which just turned her giggles into laughter.

The boy looked suspiciously between his mother, who had stopped laughing and was now putting the food on trays, and his smirking sister. "What?"

"Nothing, dear," she responded, placing the tray right in front of him, "there you go."

Samesh still sent his mother a narrowed look, but was soon distracted by the much more important matter of pilling delicious food on his plate, as his sister followed suit with far greater decorum. Avani finished setting the table, and sat down to enjoy lunch with her family.

As they ate and talked about their days, the midday sun shined brightly through the open window, and a cool breeze carried the scent of fresh earth to them. It was another calm day on the wide expanses of the Aloquian Plateau, on the planet Shanxi.

It was always something to be grateful for. Colonies where often besieged by constant problems, as far as their more remote settlements went. Such problems grew exponentially when the planet in question was on the more inhospitable side, since any technical malfunction could cost lives.

Shanxi, on the other hand, was very well settled by now, even if it was located on the figurative fringe of know space. It also had the benefit of being an almost textbook Garden World. Gravity was marginally lower than one G. Atmospheric pressure and composition were ideal for sustaining human life, and although temperatures could be a little on the cold spectrum it was not a hazard if one kept to the equatorial belt and inner temperate zones. No true oceans, but instead a ridiculous amount of rivers and lakes, some gargantuan in size, coming up and down from the frozen poles. Almost half of the unfrozen solid surface was a bare, slightly maroon rock, somewhat resembling Mars. Unlike the Red Planet however, the other half of it was actual fertile ground, and there was no shortage of vegetation in general, though it was almost entirely comprised of wetlands, with plenty of relatively small aquatic and amphibian fauna. Windstorms were common on the desert plains, ranging in force from strong breezes, to gales, to hurricane-like (thankfully very rare), and the day/night cycle was almost double that of Earth, which took some time getting used to.

It was no Eden Prime, certainly, but there were far worse rocks to make a living on.

Like every other Garden World discovered by the Systems Alliance's first expeditionary waves, Shanxi was immediately settled, and great incentives were granted to prospective colonists. The planet had much potential for agriculture, was reasonably rich in mineral resources, and also served as the launch point for expeditions on all nearby Systems.

Shanxi had a full time military garrison and, like some other Alliance colonies, a token flotilla of warships in orbit. The main settlement rapidly achieved what could be undisputedly called city-sized. Littered around it were almost three dozen much smaller settlements, mostly agricultural or research communities. Crime was still uncommon at the moment, and mostly consisted of smuggling; there was plenty of work to keep everyone busy and prosperous. The local Marine detachments also kept a close watch for trouble.

The colonists of Shanxi were good, hardworking folk, and Avani was content with her lot.

"Samesh, have you finished your history work for second daylight?"

The boy at least took the time to swallow before responding. "Yeah, did it yesterday at Tommy's! Hey, did you knew that his grandfather was there during the Jovian Disputes?"

Lucretia's head went up from looking at her food. "Really? He served on a ship?"

"Nah," the boy waved an arm, "tech guy in one of the E.U. stations. Still, he said they were there for the whole thing. Could track the ships with their sensors, even saw one with the cameras once!" He was so excited, they noticed, that he even forgot his food for a while. "And guess what? He said that a missile targeted them by mistake, and they had to throw out a module on its path to take the hit! How cool is that?"

"Hum, not hard to believe. That was what, three decades before we discovered Mass Effect tech? Cargo freighters with rocket launchers can hardly be called battleships." The girl said with derision.

"Now, now, that is not a good topic for breakfast." Avani interrupted. "It's good that you have such a great resource Samesh, and of course now I expect an excellent grade." That made the boy much less excited, and she hid a smile. "Lucretia, the gift of the protheans aside, every technological advancements we have today we owe to the pioneers, especially in your beloved military. We must always respect the past."

"Yes, sorry mom. Look, speaking of today, can I go out with the guys later? Aldrin Labs is opening an outlet on Eleven and we want to check it out. Mrs. Harris will drive us back before nightfall."

"An Aldrin store, really? Hadn't heard about that. Why, I might just take a look myself." At her daughter's face, she amended. "Not with you, of course, dear. I would not make you suffer the shame among your friends. Just behave yourselves." The girl looked sheepish, but also relieved. "Now, both of you finish your food."

With a chorus of "Yes, mother!" they went back to their plates. The seventeen-years-old girl and eleven-years-old boy were fruits of her old marriage. Both had inherited more of her features, with dusky skin and lithe frames, though only Samesh got her dark eyes, while Lucretia had her father's deep blue. Unfortunately her union with Lorenzo had not lasted and they drifted apart. It was not really anyone's fault, and they had separated as amicably as circumstances allowed. The man was a mechanical engineer, now trying his luck in a mining expedition in the Exodus Cluster, and both agreed that the children should stay with her. He couldn't take much time off, and passage between systems was not cheap anyway. Still, he and the kids traded messages and videologs every couple of weeks, if possible.

Avani herself was an agronomics engineer and botanist working with special dispensation from Colonial Authority, both essential and much respected professions on any garden world. Her time was mostly spent researching the local plant life and experimenting with different crops, both native and from Earth. It was patient work, meticulously cataloging local specimens, verifying their compatibility with human biology, and analyzing the viability and impact of introducing Earth's flora on the planet's ecosystem. Next to her habitation unit were a lab, two greenhouses, and half a dozen isolated open-air plots for direct cultivation. She had two assistants for the lab and greenhouses, but most of the field work was made by drones.

Her qualifications could have earned her a position on the colony's Scientific Committee, living in Central, but she liked working the fields as much as the lab, and the pay was already excellent. It also left her with enough time to dedicate to her children.

After everyone finished their plates, the leftovers where stored and the dishware put in the dry cleaner. Their house might be a rectangle of composites and plastics, but it was one of the good ones, with all the equipment and comforts a person might need.

Avani checked the sky outside her window. Cloudy, but unlikely to rain, just like weather control said. It should be a nice day. "Lucretia, I have a meeting in Central. As you will be staying for the morning, do me a favor and go to Hiro's later. He should have that circuit board ready and drone nº 08 has had a long enough vacation. Just remember to call first and make sure he is not on his shift."

"Got it, mom." said the girl as she sat on the couch with a datapad in hand, reading something the mother could not see. She hoped it was school related. Her son, his mission apparently complete, had already disappeared to his room.

"Samesh, we leave in half an hour or miss the transport. I want you showered and dressed in fifteen."

"Yes, mother."

Suddenly remembering something, Avani went to her small office. There she brought up the holographic interface on her desk computer and entered a command. With a soft sound, one of the drawers opened, from where she took a glass cylinder only slightly bigger than her open hand. Inside it a flower could be seen carefully preserved, shaped like a bell with bright orange petals, little spines jutting out from the stem. It was one of the natives, found by her on an expedition to the largest marshlands on Shanxi's southern hemisphere. She chuckled to herself, cataloguing the biota on that region alone would be a job for a hundred years.

She went back to her daughter and extended the container to the girl. "While you go to Hiro's, dear, please give this to Harry. I promised to keep an eye for stand-outs, and this little one has some truly amazing properties. Tell him I will send my notes later."

The girl took the gift and sent a sly look to her mother. "You know, usually it's the guy who sends flowers."

That earned her a swat to the head. "You watch it young lady. Mr. Evans is too young for me." Her daughter went to open her mouth, still with the teasing look. "And he is also too old for you. Now, I believe I will be back before lunch, if not I trust you can fend for yourself."

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"Liutenant, is everything ready for the activation?"

"All systems report optimal, Commander. All hands on their stations and all preparations complete. Engines are primed to go at any sign of trouble. We are clear to begin on your order."

"Excellent, Lieutenant! Comms, give me a ship-wide channel, and put the _Mountain _in it, too."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Leandra Stirling gave a nod of acknowledgment to her subordinate, before turning her attention once more to the view outside the SSV _Aldenhoven's_ bridge windows. Amongst the countless lights of stars, planets and galaxies, she could barely identify the speck that signalized their companion ship, the SSV _Kings Mountain_. Much closer, just five thousand kilometers to their left, stood the imposing, if elegant, purple visage of the Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay, its gigantic spinning rings were still, the bright orb of energy that would illuminate its center notably absent. If not for the many guiding lights they had put around it, it would have been almost invisible in the void.

The commander considered their mission. Contrary to popular belief, only the Alliance Navy could legally activate a dormant Mass Relay, and they did try to exercise _some _caution and patience when doing so. Upon finding an inactive Relay, standard procedure demanded a minimal, covert observation period of 30 days before any activity was allowed in the system. Just because humanity did not know how to turn off an active Mass Relay did not mean that someone else would not have such knowledge. If any "visitors" where to come from the construct, it was best they did not find evidence of human presence until they could be identified.

Given the all-clear, a few ships would proceed to activation, after which a single probe would be sent through. It would travel back and forth between the systems for increasingly longer periods to collect preliminary data. The next step was to send up to a dozen Unmanned Observation Crafts, traveling much further from the Relay, to draw a precise picture of the destination and to stand watch for yet _another _30 days period. Only after all these steps were completed would ships be allowed to make the transit.

If at any point in this process there was any sign of alien intelligence, no matter its technological state, all activity was to be canceled and Alliance Command was to be immediately informed. Although every starship crew was trained in the First Contact Protocol, they were only allowed to initiate contact if there was no other choice. Ideally, when sapient extraterrestrial life was finally discovered, the Alliance would be able to prepare a scientific, diplomatic and military Task Group to deal with it.

The truth was, the Alliance Navy always advised caution on space exploration, and did its best to curtail the frenetic expansion of human presence in the galaxy. But they were still subordinated to the United Nations, and the politicians back on Earth were foaming at the mouth for the vast resources being found in every new system they claimed. So they pushed for the Alliance to continue the expansion efforts with little regard to logistics, and as a result the Navy was stretched dangerously thin in trying to protect so many new distant colonies.

The Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay had been known to the Alliance for almost half a year now, orbiting a red dwarf just two light-years from Shanxi. Command had managed to postpone its activation for some time, but could finally delay no more, so here they were. Stirling had been part of expeditionary groups twice before now, but this would be the first time her ship would lead the entrance in a new system, once the observation time had passed.

Even thought it would still be more than a month before they would get to make the jump, just turning the Relay on still felt like a leap into the unknown. She was excited, and the charged atmosphere on the bridge showed she was not the only one.

With a gesture to her Comms Officer she was broadcasting to both frigates. "Attention all ships, this is Commander Stirling. In five minutes the _Aldenhoven_ will initiate activation of the Mass Relay. We will proceed in accordance to Operation Plan Beta. Please maintain full situational awareness at all times until second order."

A couple of seconds later, and a voice responded in a strong baritone. "This is Captain Drugov, we acknowledge the instructions, _Aldenhoven. _We will keep watch and stand ready to assist at any time."

"Thank you, _Kings Mountain_. Hopefully we won't need it. Stirling out."

Comms cut the channel and Stirling turned to look at her bridge, where everyone was dividing their attention between their stations and herself. She gave then a smile. "All right, ladies and gentlemen! This is it! Ready to claim a new piece of land for humanity?"

"We seem to be planting flags right, left and center, Captain. We will have to be careful not to run out of space." joked her navigator. The crew shared a laugh at that.

Stirling joined in the mirth. While she was technically a commander, it was traditional for the crew to informally address the Commanding Officer of a starship as 'captain', regardless of actual rank. "No, Mr. Rodriguez, something tells me we won't have to worry about that at all. All right, let's do this. Atkins, initiate data stream to the Relay. Specialist Olivier, make sure that drone is ready to go. Everyone stand ready. Enjoy the moment folks, because soon you will be bored to your bones again. Trust me, I know."

Sitting on her chair with a small sigh, Leandra took a moment to reflect on her path until now. All her years of service on the North American Space Command, the frantic, turbulent months leading to the formation of the Systems Alliance, with the technological revolution upon the discovery of the Prothean Archives and the incredible political and social furor that accompanied it.

She thought about her little daughter Kaira, and how proud she was of her mommy.

The greatest moment of her career was the day she was promoted to commander, soon after joining the new multinational Alliance Navy, and given command of the _Aldenhoven_. She looked at her crew, a mismatched group of people from such different nations and cultures, yet here they were, united under a common dream and a common purpose. Humanity against the void.

"Commander, data stream established. Activation signal sent. ETA to full activation is 4 hours and 37 minutes."

Awakening the slumbering giants was an easy but slow and methodical procedure, requiring a continuous data stream. She supposed it was only fair, as soon the construct would be generating as much energy as a small star. It was the reason why only two ships were allowed in the system during activation. There had never been a problem, but no one wanted to see what would happen if a malfunctioning Relay suffered some kind of catastrophic failure during the process.

"Understood, Atkins. Keep me informed if anything unusual happens."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

While everyone occupied themselves with their assigned tasks, Stirling opened a private channel to the CO of the _Kings Mountain._ "Captain Drugov."

"Commander Stirling." came the immediate and apparently stern reply, but she was one of the few who could hear the almost imperceptible hint of amusement beneath it.

She smirked. "So, who is tip of the spear now, huh?"

"You are, Leandra, you are." her fellow officer responded, the amusement now clear. "Seems like it's our turn to relax while the grunts do all the work."

"Oh, shut up Andrei. Just stay there and look pretty."

"Well, someone has to make sure you amateurs don't mess up _too_ badly. I bet when it's time to make the jump that you will…"

Their banter was interrupted by one of her sensor's officer signaling to her. "Commander, I'm getting some strange readings from the long-distance scanners, I think you should see this."

"I will get back to you, Andrei." before she cut the channel, Stirling thought she heard Drugov's own officer calling out to him.

"What is it?" she asked, coming down to look at the woman's screen.

"I'm picking some suspicious EM signals from the vicinity of that bigger gas giant, ma'am. I suspect they have been there for some time, but it was just now that we managed to single them out. Just give me a few more seconds to clear the planet's background radiation and… here we go." The young specialist suddenly looked closer at her screen, before turning to face her commander. Her face was very worried now.

"Ma'am, I believe a group of unknown ships exited FTL inside the system at least three hours ago."

* * *

A short trek along the dusty road saw young Lucretia leaving her mother's compound, carrying her trusty knapsack, and arrive on the main area of their settlement; dozens of mainly white, steel gray and blue prefabs, somewhat haphazardly arranged together in one of the many large depressions of the Plateau. One of many similar "villages", it was populated by colonists who either had jobs that required wide open spaces, like her mother, or simply wanted a little peace away from de hustle and bustle of the main settlement. The Alliance encouraged them, selecting suitable locations and providing the entire basic infrastructure needed. Those who wanted to live in places outside of previously approved zones could do so entirely at their own cost and risk. Independent settlers had to tread with care, as the environmental laws varied from region to region and could be extremely harsh in some cases.

Officially designated Outer Settlement 14, and called Green 14 by the locals, the community had almost two hundred residents, many of which were agricultural professionals of some sort, explaining the nickname. Mostly comprised of habitational and research units, the settlement was not exactly known for its striving commerce, so frequent commuting to other settlements was a necessity for many. Some of the school-aged youth took their lessons from a distance, while some other parents, like Avani, preferred to send their children every day to a physical school. Central was too far away for daily commuting, but Inner Settlement 03 was large enough to have its own little school. Personal vehicles were rare, but the Alliance maintained regular transportation from the settlements to the city and back.

Hiroishi Takana was one of the technicians responsible for the maintenance of the support installations around Green 14. When he was not attending to his duties, he served as the local mechanic and electrician. He had a garage beside his house from where he worked, and that's where the girl went. Lucretia responded to many greetings on her way, knowing almost everyone there personally, especially the five members of Green 14 Marine detachment. She quickly collected the fixed circuit board from the stern-looking, middle-aged man. As she was carefully stashing the piece of hardware on her pack, she heard the news coming from the active screen projected from an emitter on the wall.

There was no actual footage, just the still image of the Alliance News Network logo, as a smooth male voice spoke. "And on to our primary news: it has been confirmed that, at 31:00 hours of this Second Daylight, a detachment from the 7º Expeditionary Flotilla has initiated the activation of the Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay, after almost six months of waiting. Once the next vigil is over, as is standard procedure, civilian ships will be allowed through to conduct survey operations, and the Flotilla will remain on site for some time to assure the conditions on the other side. Now we can just wait and imagine: what new wonders await in those uncharted worlds? As the primary hub of this Cluster, Shanxi will be the launching point of any and all exploration and colonization efforts on the newly discovered systems. We will come back in five minutes with Prof. Eclair Hillbrent, who will give us his estimations on the expected economic growth of our fair colony in the next years, depending upon what we find. Stay connected to the ANN for all the latest news."

"Seven years out of Sol, scores of Relays opened, and every time is a party." Mr. Takana said with a grunt. "This is what, the fifth time now?"

"Huh, no, Mr. Takana, it's the second. We just had Shanxi-Sigma before this one." responded the girl, a little hesitantly. Mr. Hiroishi was polite, but very stern.

"Humpf! Authority just better not declare it a holiday, like last time. These systems do not maintain themselves."

Lucretia did not really have anything to say to that, especially as she did not agree. So just thanked the man and went on to her next, much more pleasant, task. After all, it was a visit to the most interesting person on the planet.

On the outer edge of the settlement and up on a slope, Mr. Evan's house was a little removed from its neighbors. It was small, suited for a single inhabitant, and pretty much average, at least by itself.

What made it stand out was the customized V-51 "Trailblazer" Reconnaissance and Exploration spacecraft stationed on the landing pad to the side: flat and streamlined, it was based on the standard Alliance design of Small Tactical Ships, though a little bigger, suitable for transport of up to four personnel and some limited cargo, and equipped with its own, FTL capable, Mass Effect Drive. The rear stabilizers, where the thrusters were located, were larger and forward-swept, the frontal ones much shorter, and the ship had an overall very 'fighter-like' shape. The standard V-51 was already a top-of-the-line craft, designed to handle itself well both in and outside vacuum, but this one had been modified for extreme atmospheric maneuverability. Emblazoned on the left side was the name "Astrid".

It was painted a deep crimson color, with brilliant gold lines sweeping elegantly all over the hull. Some would say it was a little garish.

Lucretia thought it was gorgeous.

Admiring the spacecraft all the way, she was soon standing in front of the doorway to the unit. On the wall next to it was a standard holographic panel for calling in, and she did just that. A couple minutes went on without an answer, but she was not concerned. It was know that Mr. Evans almost never answered his door promptly, for whichever reason. He always did answer though. When he was away from home, the panel would be turned off, and the _Astrid_ would generally be gone.

"In a moment!" came a man's voice from the side panel speaker. A few seconds later, the door slid open and there he was. "Oh, hyia Letia, can I help you?"

Mr. Harry Evans was not a tall man. He was not short either, just average. His build was fairly athletic, if a little on the lean side, and he carried the healthy tan of someone who spent much time on the "sun", like many in Green 14. Jet black hair was kept at ear length, and always seemed windswept for some reason. He appeared to be nearing his thirties.

His most striking feature were his eyes, of an unusual bright green. It was entirely possible that was not their natural color, as changing hair and eye coloration was almost as easy as changing clothes, and some people liked really outrageous shades. Lucretia never tried to ask for confirmation, though.

Despite her teasing of her mother, she did have a minor crush on the man. But she recognized it for what it was, and knew better than to try and pursue anything there. Besides, she was sort-of-dating Private Hughes from the local garrison. With full permission from her mother, too.

"Hey there, Harry. Nice day? Didn't interrupt anything, did I?

He shook his head with a smile. "Not at all, not at all, I was just reading. Good morning, by the way. Did you not have school?" his British accent came out very strongly.

"Just after lunch, teacher had some personal stuff to do and just assigned us some work. I actually came here on behalf of mother," she patted her bag. "I come bearing gifts." She finished cheerfully.

His eyes lit up. "Ah, wonderful! I was hoping she might find something interesting. Well, come in. I have some fresh Earl Gray, if you want."

The girl hid an amused smile; Harry _always_ had some fresh tea ready. He must drink the stuff almost non-stop. And it was not the processed, premade fare that most people used. He did it old-style, with a kettle and everything.

"I would love to."

He nodded. "Just sit at the counter, I will get it."

She went inside the house and to the counter table, while Harry closed the door and went to the small kitchen. The main room was divided into living and dining areas, the kitchen and an office, all open. On the back was the entrance to the bedroom, the only area that was walled. As she sat, she got the preserved flower out of the backpack and put it on the table. As always, she just had to let her eyes wander around the interior of the unit. It had all the common stuff, all the usual appliances and furniture one would expect, but just like on the outside, there were details that stood up.

Most of the floor was covered in a plush light-brown carpet. The living area had an old bronze clock in one of the walls. The office had a tall bookcase filled with actual paper books about a wide sort of subjects, some of them claiming to be editions from the 19ht and 20ht centuries. Sitting on the office table was also a very well-made and convincing gas lamp imitation; even the light it emitted was the characteristic yellowish glow. Harry told her it was authentic, but she knew he was joking with her. There was no way _that_ was true, not a working one at least. There was a smattering of other ancient looking items decorating the place, things that would not look out of place in an old collector's house back on Earth, but did do so when in the habitational unit of a bachelor hundreds of light-years away. Still, it was nice. Strange, but nice.

Like Harry.

"So Ms. Bhatia came back all right, then? That is very good, I overflew those marshes once and they looked nasty." He said, as he put a steaming mug in front of her; milk, no sugar, just how she liked it. Keeping in character, the mug was actual porcelain, with images of stars and half-moons. She came to think of it as _her _mug, as he always gave the same one to her whenever she came. Her mother's mug had flowers and vines, while Samesh's had dogs, cats and other little animals (manly ones, of course). He sat opposite her, his own usual mug decorated with funny little winged golden balls and wooden brooms of all things, and picked up the alien plant to take a closer look, expression fascinated.

"Thanks. And yeah, mom came home just fine. Not soon enough, though, if you ask me. I love my brother, but I definitely was not born to be a babysitter." She made a slight face, as she blew up a little on the hot beverage in her hands.

Harry just sent her an amused look, taking a sip from his tea. "Sam is a good kid. Just give him a pad and he can keep himself entertained most of the time. He actually got quite interested in some of my fantasy stuff the last time Ms. Bhatia was here," he said, pointing to the bookcase with his mug, "I let him take a couple with him. Wonder if he finished those."

She nodded and took her own sip, enjoying the citrine flavor. Harry's teas were the best, but they were yet another oddity. Her mother liked her tea, and had passed that to Lucretia herself, so she was not ignorant of the culture. Predictably, Harry liked some truly… old-fashioned blends. The strange thing was that a couple of the stuff he drank had actually gone out of normal circulation for a while, according to her mother. And to have it here, on a fringe colony, was amazing. It would be suspicious, if the idea of some kind of black-market for _tea _was not just ridiculous. When asked from where he got his supply, Harry would just smile, say he had his ways, and change the subject. He did that a lot.

"This one is beautiful," he finally proclaimed, "I just _might_ have to show Ms. Bhatia something nice now." there was a smugness in his voice that made Lucretia suspicious.

"What about you? Find anything in _your _latest adventure?"

"What makes you think I've had any?" his face was all innocence.

"Oh please, Harry. It's not hard to notice when that big red flying tub out there is gone."

"Oi, you leave my girl out of this, she looks blinding in red! And also don't let her hear you say that, she gets offended very easily."

"You know, there has to be a problem with a guy who treats his ship as if it was alive."

"Why not? Astrid is one of a kind, and she is also the prettiest."

"And of course you named it, officially, not as if it is a small personal transport and so only requires an ID number. You need a girlfriend, Evans."

"Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"So you admit there _was _a trip." She stated triumphantly. He just put his hands up in surrender, acknowledging her victory, and giving a fake pout.

He quickly replaced the pout with a smile though. Wordlessly, he got up and gently put the flower on a table in front of the sofa, then he went to a hanger on the wall upon which laid a long black coat. His hand went inside a pocket and withdrew a small silver device. Bringing it back, he fiddled with it for a moment before placing it on the center of the table. A blue light went up on the top, and immediately a high definition screen was being projected in the air between them.

It was a recording, being shot from the cabin of an aircraft, the camera clearly attached to the pilot's head. The interior was mostly in black and light gray, the panels were alight with multicolored hues, and the soft thrumming of engines could be heard. Outside the frontal windows, snowcapped red mountains were rapidly approaching; dozens of peaks packed tightly together. What followed were images of a rapid flight between the rocks, some of the maneuvers being show where patently unsafe as the ship turned and twisted, the sound of engines rising and falling as the speed changed. She raised her eyes to look at Harry, but he just gave her an unrepentant smile, which she returned. She felt exhilarated just by watching the recording, Harry was an _amazing _pilot.

After a few more minutes of dizzying low altitude stunts, the ship smoothed its flight and set course to the base of one of the mountains. There was a cut, and the next video revealed the Traiblazer on the ground, standing upon a wide and relatively even clearing, the loud howling indicating a very strong wind current. She saw Harry actually _wave goodbye_ to his ship before turning around, and she had to roll her eyes at that. As the image turned away from the craft, it showed a slow and careful trek upwards, the surface not yet making straight up climbing a necessity. At this point, Harry took the emitter and quickly pressed some more buttons, and the next image revealed the climber standing in front of a cavern, a long and narrow vertical cut on the face of the mountain, hidden by protrusions on both sides. The wind was much quieter now.

The entrance looked a little too uniform. Lucretia noted a sizable pile of rocks nearby. "You had to open the cave? How did you do it?"

"It is easy to cut rock, if you have the right tools," he replied easily, "and I am always prepared. I am just skipping the boring parts here. And before you ask, yes, it was bloody cold out there."

She laughed and pointed to the image. "Shouldn't we be seeing your breath in there, then?"

"Thankfully, I had full insulation, so I mostly knew about the cold through the readings. You heard me say 'always prepared', yes?"

"Just asking, you big jerk." She said, without any real anger. "How are you recording this anyway?"

Harry just gestured to a nearby shelf, where a collection of small equipment could be seen. Readily visible was a sleek multi-purpose visor, with amber lenses.

She nodded, turning her attention back to the projection, and watching entranced as Harry fearlessly entered the dark fissure. Inside, even just beyond the entrance it was already almost pitch black. She thought she saw him moving his right arm, although it was very hard to see clearly. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the cave, coming from somewhere right next to Harry's head on the opposite side of the camera. There must be a flashlight in that visor too.

"Your fancy glasses don't come with night-vision?" She asked in a teasing tone.

"They do," his eyebrow was raised in mock-arrogance, "but I prefer using my own eyes, whenever possible."

"What _is _this place?"

"The second biggest mountain range on Shanxi." He answered. "Roughly three thousand miles to the northwest of Central, hence the cold. There are some bloody gigantic cave systems inside and beneath those peaks, thousands upon thousands of miles of tunnels. It was actually picked up by the Alliance surveys of the planet, but no one has had the time or inclination to investigate deeply yet. There _are_ more pressing concerns on establishing a colony, after all." He pointed to the image, which displayed his careful trek beneath the earth. The coloration of the rock reflected the flashlight eerily, the red glow sending a small shiver down Lucretia's spine, but Harry was all excitement, clearly unconcerned. "On the upswing, I had the place all to myself. I've been poking around for some weeks, and already explored a dozen other entrances. Mostly just what you are seeing right now: bare rock, although there was many an underground stream."

"And this one?"

"Ah," he said, giving his patented lopsided smile, "this one is special."

"Special, how?"

"You will see."

She gave him the evil eye, eliciting no reaction whatsoever, so she just went back to looking at the footage. The Harry in the recording just kept going forward, up and down inside the mountain, the only sound that could be heard was his faint breathing, and the very low echoes of his steps. In that place, they should be much louder, but she knew specialized footwear could do that. Most of the time, the cave was large enough for the man to walk unhindered, though there was still plenty of crouching and slithering through narrow passages. There was no sign of life. After a few minutes, Harry took the device again - "Boring parts" - In the next scene, she saw that the red rock had given way to a darker tone. Now that she was paying more attention, she noticed that the light source Harry was using could not be a flashlight, as it was not a concentrated beam, rather it seemed to illuminate uniformly in all directions, like a lantern. It also bobbed up and down slightly, more than could be caused by Harry's own movements. Was it hanging from some kind of support? Perhaps it was shoulder-mounted then? About to ask, she finally saw something different.

Some way deeper inside, the natural corridor made a sharp turn to the left. The not-flashlight made it difficult to be certain, but she tough she saw another light source reflected on the distant wall. The past Harry seemed to agree with her, as his equipment suddenly went off, throwing the immediate area in darkness.

And there it was, a faint blue glow could clearly be seen, coming from somewhere beyond the curve of the path. Lucretia though she saw another quick arm movement, but again the darkness made it impossible to be certain. Harry was slower now, moving very carefully, even the sound of his breathing and steps seemed to have stopped completely. Around the bend, the tunnel went on almost straight, and sharply downwards. The longer it went, the more illuminated became the walls. Some fifty meters away an opening could be seen, and there was light coming from it. Bright light, and it appeared to be slowly shifting colors. The girl could feel her excitement building with every step the recorded Harry took, a quick glance up to his face showed him just as focused on the image. There was no doubt now, the light was definitely changing colors: a forest green, than yellow and than even pink. And was that the faint sound of water? The light also revealed a radical change on the cave walls; they were now completely black, and right before the opening they became almost glass-like. Harry took the last few steps, bending a little to pass through, and…

It was a _big _cave, with a roughly elongated oval shape. The passage opened almost middle-way on one of the sides. On the center of the stadium-sized area, a lake of crystalline water rested, fed by small streams coming from hundreds of fissures on the walls. Beneath the waters, a carpet of light seemed to cover every square centimeter of available surface. Every couple of meters it would change color, as if a rainbow had decided to take make its home inside.

Above the lake and all around the cavern, _millions _of wisps of light in every color imaginable floated lazily around. Like little fairies, they went up and down, left and right, no pattern to their flight. Before Lucretia's astonished eyes, a few emerged from the waters, not even disturbing the surface. The ones in the air would sometimes merge with one another, and their individual colors would give place to a new one, completely different, before separating once more, some maintaining their new color, and most returning to their original hue. They went all the way to the top of the cave, their light becoming fainter the higher up they were. On the ceiling, large pockets of light could be seen; faint, ethereal things.

The glass-like stone that dominated the area multiplied the effect a hundredfold, until she imagined she was looking at some fantastical new galaxy, with the giant core in the center and the uncountable bright stars around it.

The girl did not know for how long she stayed seated at that small table, watching the projection, until she felt dampness in her left cheek and realized she was sort-of crying. That snapped her out of it and she hastily went to wipe away the tear. She could feel the embarrassment burning in her chest, and she raised her head hesitantly to see Harry's reaction.

There was only kindness in the smile he sent her however, and the clear understanding in his eyes washed away her shame as she smiled back. Giving her a gentle pat on the hand, he spoke softly.

"How do you think _I _felt? You may notice I am still standing there totally gobsmacked."

She looked back and, sure enough, the camera was still recording but Harry had apparently not moved a single muscle except for his neck. For a few minutes they both stayed silently watching the projection, the explorer not taking a single step, until Harry once more reached for the emitter and gave it a single tap, freezing the image.

"What _was _that, Harry?"

"Life, Letia." He said, gesturing to her mother's present with his head. He pointed to the underground lake with a finger. "These lights you see in the water are thousands of colonies, each individual one varying from the length of my arm to that of my pinky," as he spoke, he indicated the aforementioned body parts, "they are formed by these minuscule algae, less than an inch in size. They grow one upon the other forming a filament, and then start detaching themselves at the top. They rise from the lake and ascend all the way to the ceiling, losing whatever fuels their bioluminescence as they go. The process is very slow, though. I made some quick estimates, and it must take anything from six months to a year until they reach the roof."

"Some seemed to… fuse together."

He nodded. "They do that, all right. Probably a part of their reproductive cycle. You noticed how some would stay with their new colors?" at her affirmative gesture, he continued. "What is hard to see is that the ones that do that start moving _downwards _instead of up. They go back into the lake."

"That's so cool."

"Those are just the guesses of an amateur, though." he smiled ruefully. "For all my interest and fascination with nature, I am not, as they say, a professional. I didn't even wanted to risk collecting some samples, I didn't know if they would survive outside of the cave, and I do not have the equipment or expertise to make a container for them. I was actually planning to visit you guys later today or tomorrow, and see if Ms. Bhatia would be interested in helping."

"Interested? Mom is going to freak out! This is amazing, Harry."

He just nodded, looking at the image. "I live for moments like these, you know? Do not take me wrong, outer space can be incredibly beautiful, and I do enjoy wandering the stars, finding new systems. But to me, nothing can surpass the magnificence of life." He gestured to the screen. "How it can flourish, big and small, even in the most unexpected of places, how it can whether the greatest storms. Things like this… they are the closest thing to real magic that you can find."

The way he said those last words and the look in his eyes gave a sharp thug to Lucretia's heart. Most of the time, Harry was the very picture of the fearless adventurer, even if he was also one of the wisest men she knew. But sometimes he would get this faraway look, and you could glimpse a deep melancholy behind the cheerfulness. Not that his disposition was fake, like some kind of mask, but it was obvious to those who got to know him more intimately that Harry carried a great sadness with him, some old and terrible hurt that never truly healed. It was amazing how a man so young could sometimes look so _old. _

It was also obvious that he did not let it control him, however. As her mother once said, that was all anyone could really ask for.

Hoping to steer him away from whatever depressing thoughts he was having right now, she began speaking, albeit a little faster than normal. "I totally agree. Hey, you heard about the Shanxi-Theta Relay, right? So, you know anything about that, what with you super-secret Voyager contacts and everything?"

She got what she wanted, as he gave her and amused little smile, whatever shadow of his past forgotten, at least for the moment. "Super-secret Voyager contacts, huh? I wish! No, I don't have any information about the destination of Shanxi-Theta. No one will know anything for some hours yet. Though they did ring me a few days ago and said to expect a proposal for a new contract soon. Whether it will be to chart the cluster in general or some specific planet will depend on what they find."

"Oh, that's cool. You're going to take them up on that?"

"Well, I will need to have a gander at the contract first, won't I? But most probably yes, if Shanxi-Theta doesn't lead straight into a black hole or something. I have been basically gallivanting since my last contract ended. Of course," he tapped the emitter still on the table, "not that I regret the vacation. But it will be good to get out there again."

"Great, it means you will stick around for a couple more months, then." she said, unashamed. She saw no reason to hide her appreciation of the man's presence, something shared by many of the inhabitants of Green 14. Harry was just a nice guy, always willing to help whenever needed. "Mom and I were beginning to wonder when you would move on. We can see you are getting restless."

He gave her an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders. "I was considering a proposal to make a stint on the Artemis Tau cluster, but I had just begun exploring those caves." his expression turned apologetic "Everyone here has been wonderful, you guys most of all. I know it is bad form to just up and leave but…"

"Oh, please, Harry. Stop that!" admonished the teenager in front of him. "You are a Voyager, traveling is what you do. No one was expecting you to stick around forever. Not that it would be a bad thing, mind you, but of course we understand. Well," she gave a smirk, "Samesh will probably ask you to take him along when you go."

"Don't remind me. I'm definitely not looking forward to _that_ conversation." he said with a sigh.

She just laughed at him. "Don't worry, he will get over it. So, you still won't accept mining contracts, then? Don't they give the best pay?" she asked curiously.

"No, not my cup of tea." he shook his head, "Don't take me wrong. I know full well the importance of titanium, platinum, noble gases and of course, eezo, to space travel and the maintenance of our colonies. And yes, they usually _are_ the most profitable contracts."

He opened his arms, gesturing to the little prefab around them. "But I didn't chose this life to get rich. I chose it because I wanted to see the galaxy and search for new life. There are dozens of other Voyagers, not to mention the Alliance's own surveyors, who will happily search for rare rocks. And it is not like I don't note down any deposits I come across, I just don't go out of my way to look for them."

"Well, I'm glad you say so, because if you said you had chosen the life of Voyager to pick up girls, it's clearly not working that well."

"Cheeky brat."

* * *

A deathly silence dominated the bridge of the Alliance cruiser SSV _Nairobi_, standing in orbit over the planet Shanxi_._ Rear Admiral Carlos D'Amico stood straight in front of the main viewing screen, his old face graver then at any other time of his life, reflecting his inner thoughts. The screen was currently split in half, and on the left side everyone could see the tall and lean image of Captain Andrei Drugov. The man had clearly passed through a difficult time; physically he only had a large, hastily treated cut on his forehead. But his blue eyes told the truth; there was a profound and raw grief in them, forcibly kept at bay in the face of duty.

The admiral did not blame him. He knew Drugov had just witnessed the death of a very dear friend.

"Captain, I'm sorry but we must confirm this situation. Are you absolutely _sure_ your attackers were of an alien nature?"

The captain had to visibly shake himself before responding, but his voice was still firm despite his apparent state. "As sure as I can be, Admiral. Their energy readings were unlike anything we have ever seen, and the vessel's profiles did not match any human design schools on record." the man heaved a deep sign, before continuing "Admiral, sir, I realize there is a possibility that those ships were built by some unknown human party, especially given the similarities in our ship's structures and armaments. But if that is the case, I can't think of a single good enough reason as for why they would attack us in this way."

"If they are experimental ships of some kind, then perhaps this could've been a test of combat effectiveness? There are few occasions were only two solitary frigates would be found in a vulnerable position like that." suggested the man appearing on the right side of the screen. Almost in opposition to the younger man sharing the screen, he was short and stocky. While Drugov's face was naturally stoic, his came more on the stern side. The captain shook his head.

"I do not believe that is the case, General Williams. I've sent forward our combat data; if you pay attention, sirs, you can see that the hostile's initial attack patterns are too cautious, uncertain. The specifications of our first-generation frigates are well known by now. While they were clearly intent on eliminating us, they were also acting like someone facing a total stranger."

He waited while the two senior military officers on the system reviewed the data the _Kings Mountain_ was able to collect. The admiral had to agree with the captain's point. He also looked intently to the LADAR images of the unidentified ships; multilayered hulls, all angular lines and sharp edges; they brought to mind images of birds-of-prey. And if these ships could be described in just one word, it would definitely be _predatory._

They certainly _looked_ alien enough from where he stood.

"Captain, while it's clear these aggressors were not concerned with taking prisoners, I also do not believe the simple destruction of your frigates was their purpose." said General Williams. "By this information, there were only four enemies?"

"Yes, sir. Four frigate-weight vessels, although one was distinctly larger than the others."

Williams nodded. "And what is your assessment of the enemy's capabilities?"

The captain stood straighter, and the sorrow in his eyes was being slowly replaced by a cold, calculating fury. "Within range of our own, Admiral. While the enemy ships are obviously superior to ours in every aspect, I do not believe it is by an unsurpassable margin." he could be seen clutching the arms of his chair very tightly. "If the attack had not come so suddenly, if they hadn't taken us by surprise, I'm sure we could have escaped easily enough. As it stands, the _Mountain_ managed to take out our target's shields, and got a shot to its armor that caused visible damage… before we were forced to retreat."

_"Before the _Aldenhoven_ was lost."_ finished D'Amico in his thoughts, there was no need to state it out loud. Analyzing once more the combat data, the admiral could picture it in his mind as two of the smaller unknowns jumped out of FTL less than a thousand kilometers of the Systems Alliance frigates, and immediately opened fire on them. While taken by surprise, the two defending ships responded admirably, and D'Amico could see that Drugov spoke the truth; the attackers where a little faster, their shields stronger and their mass accelerators could hit harder, but the difference was not overwhelming.

It would have been safer to flee, but the Navy directive on encountering an unknown hostile force was to do what could be done to evaluate the threat, and it was clear defensive and offensive capabilities were being evaluated on both sides. Although at a clear disadvantage, they were holding themselves with deft maneuvering. That is, until two more enemy ships joined the fray, one being the heavy frigate, and went to gang up on the _Aldenhoven_. Already weakened by its first attacker, the ship was quickly incapacitated by the sudden flanking assault, its engines damaged and rendering it unable to escape to FTL. The _Kings Mountain_ went on full offensive, desperately trying to save its sister ship and, like its captain had said, even managing to strip the shields of his own attacker and lightly hurt it, but sustaining nearly critical damage itself in turn. It was already too late, though; possessing much lighter armor and shields than heavier ships, a frigate had to rely on its maneuverability to stay in a fight. Crippled as it was, it took only a short time for the _Aldenhoven_ to be torn apart by the combined fire of the three aggressors.

Seventy brave souls, lost in a less than five minutes.

Faced with such odds, and no longer with a reason to stay, Captain Drugov gave the logical order to retreat.

"My suspicion, gentlemen," continued the general, "is that the hostile's objective was the Mass Relay." he put his hands together, brown eyes sharp as he explained his theory. "Their opening moves suggest these people, whatever they are, follow a tactical doctrine that is logical to us. After that shot, it was obvious the _Aldenhoven_ was dead on the water; if they wanted to make sure both of our ships were destroyed, they would have immediately turned their attention on the _Kings Mountain_, instead of wasting their time hammering a mostly disabled target."

The other men nodded. Any party could escape very easily from a space battle. Once it enters FTL, it was impossible to do anything against a target. If one intended to truly destroy an enemy, one had to commit everything they had to end the fight as fast as possible and keep the chance of retreat to a minimum. Overwhelming and surprise attacks where the rule of thumb, as had been showcased here. The only reason a ship would stay and fight after defeat was certain was if it had to protect an asset it simply could not afford to lose.

By removing that reason, the attackers had guaranteed that their second adversary would flee.

"I agree, General. I think we can safely assume that this foe wanted us out of that system, and Shanxi-Theta is the obvious candidate as to why." said D'Amico. He put his hands on the console in front of him and leaned forward, as if to more clearly see his interlopers. All the while, the crew on the bridge of the _Nairobi_ stood silent watch. The old man was sure a thousand thoughts were running through their heads, mostly centered on the fact they had probably just found their first sapient extraterrestrial life, _and_ _it had shot them down._

But they had to stop contemplating, and start acting_. _"Now, gentlemen, the question is: what should our response be? I'm sending a courier to Arcturus right now, but it will be three days before it arrives, and at least three more before it returns with instructions. Can we afford to wait that long, while this unknown force prowls our neighborhood?"

"Let's not forget we have almost fifteen thousand civilians that currently call Shanxi their home." pointed out Williams. "Assuming these _are_ aliens, those four ships are surely not the sum of their forces. What if they call for reinforcements? What if they find the colony? They have already proven themselves ready to attack without asking questions."

"I know this is not my decision, sirs." began Drugov. It was clear he wanted to say his piece, and the admiral just motioned for him to continue.

The captain allowed his expression to turn harder. "Understand that I speak this regardless of my personal feelings at the moment, Admiral, but I think we should confront the unknowns immediately. We currently have a cruiser and five frigates remaining on the 7ht. The _Nairobi_ also carries a squadron of fighters. We already know the enemy can be fought, despite their technical superiority against a vessel of the same class."

He waited for his superiors to acknowledge the point, before continuing. "In the case these enemies are of human origin, than this was a criminal action of a rogue organization. If they are, indeed, aliens, than they are aggressive by nature, and they now had almost five hours of unfettered access to the _Aldenhoven's_ remains. Who knows what could be salvaged from the wreckage? Schematics, navigational charts, defense plans… what else?" he took a breath before finishing his thoughts. "Not to mention what they could do with the… remnants of the crew."

The other men shared equally grim expressions, as Drugov was once again right on the money. It was only expected for an alien intelligence to try and learn what they could in such a situation. They would have done much the same themselves, after all.

Carlos D'Amico straightened himself once more, and nodded decisively. "Well put Captain. I will call an immediate meeting of the senior officers in the Flotilla to discuss plans, but I'm inclined to follow your suggestion. We will try our best to talk with these hostiles, but if they start shooting, we _will_ respond in kind. General Williams, I would greatly appreciate your input and that of your staff."

"Of course, Admiral. I will coordinate with Governor O'Neil to begin quiet preparations on the colony, no need to risk a panic attack just yet. We also have some eggheads down here who could take a better look at this data, perhaps find some weakness we can exploit."

D'Amico nodded. "If they can be trusted to keep it quiet, them by all means."

"If worst comes, we will be ready. But for the sake of all these people, I hope the spooks on the UN don't waste too long deciding on what the Alliance should do."

The admiral grimaced. "You and me both, Williams. I will set the meeting to begin in half an hour?"

With a nod of confirmation, the general disconnected, and the screen was now solely occupied by Drugov. D'Amico gave sharp orders to his officers to start preparing the flotilla and distribute their data to the other COs. He also arranged for a corvette to leave with the urgent news to Alliance Command, before once more turning to the CO of the _Kings Mountain,_ who still remained at attention. He released a sigh.

"You know I cannot allow the _Mountain _to come, Captain. She is too damaged and would be a hindrance more than an asset. You are to stay here and perform whatever repairs you can; coordinate with William's people. You are good enough to attend the meeting?"

Although the frustration was apparent in the captain's face, he was not about to argue against the truth. "I know, sir, and I am."

"Good. Right now, you and your crew are our experts on these hostiles." he paused for a moment, before continuing in a softer voice. "I'm terribly sorry about Leandra, Andrei. She was a damn fine woman, one of our best."

"That she was, sir. That she was."

* * *

Harry waved goodbye to the young woman from his front 'porch', a little smile on his face. A visit from any of the Bahtias always brightened his day. Shanxi might have been located on the current arse-end of the galaxy, and been a little too cold for his liking, but it was filled with great people. Colonists, in general, were welcoming folk. If you carried your own weight, and were polite, you were alright in their book.

He certainly had spent far more time on Shanxi than any other colony so far, even the better looking ones.

He felt the smile slowly falling away. Truth was, he was taking a vacation on Shanxi. A little break away from all the traveling, the Voyager contracts...

...the disappointment.

Harry sighed, looking upwards into the cloudy sky. It had been four years now, since he began his self-imposed mission. His mission to find on the cosmos that which had been lost on Earth.

Magic.

And he _had_ found it. Oh, yes! The very first time he had stepped foot on the surface of a garden world, he had felt it; the magic. Wherever there was life, there was also magical energy. Even if the planet only sported microbial life, the magic was there.

At first he was ecstatic. He still remembered Demeter's magic; it was wild, vibrant, like the wind atop a grassy hill. So different front Earth's generally much older and charged feeling. He had spent hours just basking in the feeling. He must have looked completely off his trolley, come to think of it. But it did not take long for him to realize; there was magic in Demeter, yes, but there was no Living Magic. No magic shaped by intent, crafted by will.

So he kept looking. To gain more freedom of movement he trained and studied hard, got himself a ship and a job as a state-sponsored surveyor, a Voyager. He went to every new planet with life or great potential for life, even found one himself, and in every single one he found magic. Always a little different, always with a singular 'taste', but nonetheless always there. But he never found that spark, that most precious of presences.

He was now convinced that his initial suspicions were correct, that only a planet with a fully sentient species could give birth to Living Magic. Still, he supposed he should keep trying. He had not lied to Lucretia, he _was _fascinated by all the strange alien life he found.

His forlorn thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice coming through the intra-auricular speaker he always wore on his left ear. Though usually smooth and melodious, the voice currently had a snarky tilt to it.

"Great red tub, huh? I'll remember that, girlie."

Barely restraining the urge to facepalm, Harry quickly went inside his house and locked the door. Then he took his trusted holly wand from the concealed holster on his left forearm. With a gesture and a thought, he made sure his door could not be opened by anything but magic… or high-powered explosives, possibly. Big ones, though.

That done, he went to the portion of the wall where his work table stood. Three quick taps and a bright cobalt-blue runic array was now shining on the white surface. Harry passed the tip of the wand slowly above two groups of runes, first removing the concealment charms, then reactivating his usual enchantments. Immediately, all the walls expanded outwards, almost tripling the available space, much of the furniture growing accordingly. New objects seemed to just pop in existence; like the new bookcase besides the normal one, filled with some absurdly large tomes; or the wall stand covered in framed photos, most of which sported rather animated characters; or the large portrait of a magnificent black castle atop of a hill, surrounded by forests and overlooking a black lake. A portion of the prefabs's ceiling now showed an exact image of the sky above it, and a new, wooden door appeared on the back wall.

Once again holstering the wand, Harry finally turned to his window and shot a disgruntled look at the red starship stationed not ten meters from it.

"For Merlin's sake, Astrid! Will you not stop eavesdropping on people's conversations!?"

The Trailblazer did not show any sign of activity, but the feminine voice still came loud and clear. His immediate response was a scoff, followed by the now sullen tone. "Well, forgive me for being _bored._ It's not like I have to stay parked here all day with nothing to do, while you have tea parties with your friends. Oh, wait a minute; yes, it is!"

The man bit back a caustic retort, reminding himself that she had a good point. He could not claim to fully understand the thought process of his travelling companion, but he of all people knew the feeling of being cooped up.

Sighing, he went to the Everlasting Kettle sitting atop his heater. It was everlasting not in the sense that it would refill itself, but in the sense that it would store outrageously large amounts of liquids, and keep them preserved and heated for an indefinite, but supposedly infinite, time. With a small turn of the lid, he poured the now green tea on his mug. When he spoke, it was in a much softer voice. "All right, fine. Look, just let me finish editing the videolog of our trip for Ms. Bhatia, and we can go for a ride, yes?"

Her tone was equally soft. "So, I'm forgiven?"

"Yes, Astrid; you are forgiven. Cheer up, girl." damn his soft heart. Who had the brilliant idea to give consciousness to a spacecraft anyway?

Oh, right, he did.

"Great!" the cheerfulness was completely at odds with her earlier behavior, but Harry was more than used to her mood swings. "By the way, Harry, she is right, you know?"

"Right… about… what?" he asked very slowly.

"You really should get a girlfriend."

This time he _did_ facepalm.


	3. Chapter 2: In Tenebris

Traditional disclamer:

I do not own the rights to either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This story is written merely for my own pleasure, no monetary profit is intended.

*Update: 2015/02/15 - grammatical corrections and a minor addition, check the AN at the bottom for details. Those who have already read the chapter won't loose anything at all.

* * *

**Chapter 02**

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**In Tenebris**

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Specialist Aetius watched through the small viewing screen as the shuttle made its descent towards the dark surface. With no significant source of light in about a five light-years radius, nothing could be seen of the small moon in the visible spectrum. Even the nearby ice giant was nothing but a colossal shadow, blocking the stars behind it.

_"__Roughly 750 kilometers of mean radius. Composition is 41% silicate rocks and 58% ices, with 1% of heavier elements. Surface gravity is only 3% that of Palaven. Cold, desolate, forgotten."_ The soldier went over the limited information they had. It was a very old habit of his, to randomly review characteristics of things he saw. At least he had long ago loosed his childhood urge to speak out loud.

With not even the slightest trembling, the small spacecraft touched the frozen surface.

"We have made ground contact. Rise up, legionnaires!" the rough, gruff voice of Master Sergeant Thelam snapped his attention back to the craft's interior.

_"__Tall, broad of shoulders. Dark brown plates and lighter skin, dark yellow colony marks. Extensive scar over left side of the face, all the way to the neck. Strict, but fair. Does not tolerate tardiness. Skilled with assault rifles and shotguns. A good leader."_

Aetius raised from his seat, together with his fellow soldiers. Five legionnaires, excluding Thelam. The red tone of the shuttle's lighting gave an even sharper cast to their features and dark armor.

"Check your equipment." ordered the sergeant, proceeding to do the same thing himself.

The specialist quickly, but carefully, went over his gear. He put his helmet and made sure it was firmly in place, and that the readings showed no signs of any leakage. The HUD was working perfectly. His omnitool diagnostics came up a 100%. The magnetic lock on his back had an Armax Arsenal _Crossfire_ Assault Rifle attached to it. The one on his left leg had a high grade ERC _Striker _Heavy Pistol. Distributed around his armor were his other equipment, all of it some of the very best available to the military. His was an elite unit, serving a general of the Turian Hierarchy as his personal strike team. Each one of them was hand-picked from the 37th _Vindex_ Legion.

Not that they were expecting to find any enemies in this lost world. But a turian was always prepared to fight.

His comrades had other weapons, most prominent being the large, krogan-made Graal Spike Thrower carried by Thelam. Aetius himself relinquished additional firepower in exchange for a medium-sized pack containing his specialized instruments. Those he took especial care in checking. As a result, he was the very last one to give his affirmative that everything was good to go. No one commented though, as that was expected.

"Very good." the NCO turned to the only figure that was still seated and without his helmet on, gaze down and focused on the orange holographic interface enveloping his right forearm. His armor was a mix of dark blue and silver. The sergeant gave a smart salute. "General Arterius, sir! We are ready!"

The turian raised his head to look at his soldiers. Piercing, ice-blue eyes went slowly over every single one of them, and Aetius had to restrain himself from checking his gear once again. His inspection complete, Desolas Arterius deactivated his omnitool and calmly rose from his seat.

_"__Even taller than the sergeant, but leaner. Silver-white plates mixed with dark blue ones in an unusual combination, giving contrast to features that are even sharper than is common in our people. Small, blue colony marks. A man of fierce, predatory intellect. Brilliant strategist. Revered by his troops for his tenacity and impressive force of personality."_

With two long steps, he was right in front of them. "My soldiers, we are here at last." his voice was slow and smooth, and behind it was an undercurrent of cold steel. "Here, in the emptiness between stars, is where we shall find the power to change the galaxy." he strode past them, to the loading ramp at the rear of the craft. On the way, he strapped his silver helmet on. A gesture, and the doors opened. For a few meters, the loading lights were able to illuminate the path, but beyond that there was only the gaping maw of blackness. "Now come, and fear not the Void! For the Spirits of our people are with us!" then the general himself led the way out in the dark.

Thelam went first, and Aetius and his companions followed, rifles in hand. Once outside the shuttle, they quickly spread out around it, scanning the immediate area with their tools. The standard magnetic boots would not work on that surface, so they were using specialized (and expensive) Mass Effect field generators to counter the microgravity.

Everywhere the vehicle's powerful lights reached, they revealed and eerie sight. The ground was uneven and cracked; an uncountable number of long, talon-thin fissures crisscrossed it. Rising everywhere from the scarred terrain were twisted, jagged formations that resembled the fangs of ancient nightmares. They went from the height of a man to a dozen meters, and were sharp enough to cut flesh. The ice was a dark blue, almost indigo. And, just as the vision from the inside, when the lamps could no longer pierce the darkness it raised up like a wall, as if a physical thing. Space was always silent, of course, but even the quiet here felt more powerful, impossible to ignore.

Looking up, there was the comforting lights of the corvette that brought them there, maintaining orbit a few kilometers above the satellite. Beyond it, however, there were nothing but distant stars. It was not like seeing them from a planet, though, or even a ship's observation deck. The countless specks seemed impossibly far, ghosts beyond the very edge of the universe. On a ship, a person knew it was leaving one place and going to somewhere else. No matter how long the journey, there was light at the start and at the end.

One hasn't experienced the full feeling of nothingness until they had stood upon a rogue planet; or a rogue moon, as was the case; a cosmic body lost between systems, a wandering orphan of the stars.

"Clear!" said one of the soldiers. The call was repeated by all the others.

"Switch to active tactical vision!" barked the sergeant. With a command, the emitter in his helmet started to bombard the area in front him in invisible light. Colors became a little muted, and an amber sheen was cast above them, but his headgear used the reflected radiant energy to greatly enhance his field of vision. It was not generally used during combat operations, as the emitter made them very easy to detect, but it did provide a better personal illumination than an exterior emitter.

"Area secured, General."

"Excelent." came Desolas through the radio. "Follow me, legionnaires."

The specialist moved to the front of the shuttle. There, he found both the General and the Master Sergeant. Thelam was still thoroughly scanning the area, but his superior did not seem worried about any beasts in the dark, arms crossed at his chest. When all the soldiers arrived, he once more took the lead, starting on an apparently random path between the icy spikes. It was not random, though, as the blinking yellow dot on his tactical map indicated.

The soldiers were right behind their leader. They walked for a time, but the terrain remained the same, except that the sharp formations became more numerous the further they went. Soon their shuttle was only a small beacon in the distance. Time seemed to have lost any meaning. The soldiers were always at high alert, weapons ready, but the general still went unconcerned, his single heavy pistol left at its lock point. Nobody talked.

As they trekked cautiously forward, Aetius looked at Desola's back and thought about his words. So this was it, then? This forsaken ice rock was the burial place of his people's legacy? It seemed unlikely, but the general had never led them astray before, and he seemed quite sure of his information. In the end, it did not matter. He was turian, and he would follow. General Arterius was their superior officer, and it was his duty to lead and advise his subordinates, just as it was their duty to obey and trust him. That sacred bond was the cornerstone of their civilization, and what allowed their people to conquer every challenge history ever threw at them.

Though Aetius had to admit, his motives for being there were somewhat different from the others'. Like them, he fully believed in the general's vision. How could he not? When he lost his mate to the violence of batarian raiders, he also lost all faith in the policies of the Citadel. Those slaving barbarians should not be allowed to exist, and _everyone _knew batarian 'pirates' did not act without consent from the Hegemony.

If it were up to the Hierarchy, Khar'Shan would be conquered in a heartbeat. Their pathetic navy would be crushed, their outrageous excuse of a government replaced by true leaders. The masters would be put in their own chains, while slaves would taste the sweetness of freedom and honest work. The Hierarchy would guide the batarian people, until they finally left their savage culture in the past, where it belonged.

But the Council would take no action. The asari and salarians were content in letting criminals have an embassy on the Presidium. They were happy to allow murderers to walk freely between decent people. No, Aetius most certainly agreed with his general, he was a believer. But even though that was a major reason for his presence there, it was not the greatest one.

General Arterius had not just promised that turians would finally be allowed to put to right the mistakes of a decadent galactic civilization. He also promised that their people would be brought to the next stage of evolution. A stage that they once held, long ago, but which they lost because of foolishness and superstition. They had not been ready then, but they were now. Ready for a life free from pain, from sickness, from death. Every single turian would be elevated. They would all be saved.

Including his son.

_"__Steel grey plates, just like my own, becoming dull around the edges. Green eyes like his mother's, so full of life and energy. But the red was already starting to creep in. Laughter clean and bright like the crystal waters of the lake besides our house, now weak and raspy. But still so strong, still so hopeful. _'I will be fine, daddy. The Spirits watch over me_._'_"_

He felt his heart clench painfully, and tried to put Darius' smiling face back in the safety of his memories. He needed all his focus now.

"Attention, up ahead!" came the warning from one of the point legionnaires.

Still a little ways ahead of them, it was without a doubt the same structure they had identified from the orbital scans of the moon. As they approached it, the jagged formations jutting out from the ground became so tightly packed together, that it was like walking through a deadly, icy forest. It had been the reason why their shuttle had to land so far. Their destination was another thing, as its gigantic spears of frozen water, coming out at all angles, formed a huge serrated hill. The specialist knew that, unlike the more natural looking formations on the rest of the moon, these ones had all the same length. Their tips formed a perfect circumference in all directions.

"On the left." came another call. It was standing just twenty steps from them, previously hidden among the ice. Although half covered by it, the broken metallic bulkhead could still be recognized.

"Just a piece of the ship, Bremus. Concentrate on the main formation." admonished Thelam.

_"__Thin, long-limbed. Has a broken tip on the right mandible he keeps as a badge of honor. Heavy weapons and explosives specialist. Predictably, likes explosions"_

They kept moving. Soon they were beneath the great structure. The more horizontaly inclined of the giant spikes where high enough that they could easily walk under them, and there were none of the smaller ones now. With the ice above them, not even the stars could be seen any longer. All the while, General Arterius kept walking, just as easily as if this was a simple stroll along the streets of Cipitrine.

Soon they came to the base of the spikes, which formed a long, serrated wall. They saw Desolas stop and tilt his head in consideration. After almost a minute, were no one said anything, he just turned to the left and resumed his march.

"Circle to the left!"

They followed the wall for over ten minutes, before they came upon their target.

"Sir, visual contact with the drone!" surely enough, the bright orange holographic orb of the surveillance unit they had sent ahead from orbit could be seen around the curve. It floated placidly in front of a sudden entrance in the wall.

"Talia, recover the drone and get a light in there. Everyone switch to passive vision when she is done."

_"__Shorter than average, very nimble. Extrovert. Likes to make fun of asari. Prefers pistols. Calls her assault drone Punisher."_

They waited while the combat engineer sent a few commands with her omnitoool, and the machine came to her like an obedient pet. Then she took a small sphere from her belt, fiddled a little, and threw it in front of the opening. They all turned off their personal emitters. The sphere became their source of invisible light, more efficient in enclosed spaces, and started floating about two meters from the ground. It also had the advantage of making them less of a target.

The general and their unit's leader came and stood at the very edge of the gap, while the other soldiers took position around them. Desolas turned to him.

"I believe this is your turn, Specialist."

"Yes, sir!" said Aetius promptly, and went alone inside the passage. The entrance was in fact very small, extending for just five meters. At the end was yet another wall. This one, however, was completely smooth. It was also glowing faintly, as strange purple markings covered the entire surface in circling patterns. But they already knew that from the drone's recordings. Very conscious of the eyes upon him, the legionnaire took out his pack and began to assemble his instruments around and upon the wall. Once that was done he got to work. "Initial readings confirmed. Aside from electromagnetic radiation in the upper range of the visible spectrum, the target gives no other emissions of any kind. Initiating active scans."

For the next fifteen minutes, the soldier subjected that lone patch of ice to every kind of stimuli he could think of. First were the electromagnetic; radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and even gamma rays. When those failed to give any answer, he tried air pressure, ultrasound, magnetic fields, heat emissions, electricity, and even dark energy. Impact tests with different objects also caused no visible damage.

"General, I cannot get any kind of reading. Our orbital scans were not wrong, this particular formation does not react to anything. It just absorbs everything I throw at it, except for the little light it reflects back to give its color. No emissions will penetrate it, I can't even tell you what makes those markings glow!" Aetius was frustrated, and also ashamed. His sole duty was to get them answers about the nature of this structure, and what was inside it. He had failed his fellow legionnaires and his general.

He felt a touch upon his armor. He looked back and was very startled to see General Desolas standing behind him, an encouraging hand put on his left shoulder.

"Do no fret, young man." his superior's voice was empathic, no remonstration present on his flanging. "This result was not unexpected, it is no failure of your own. Even the most experienced can find themselves facing the unknown, something greater than themselves, that's how we learn. See this as the opportunity it is. Now, collect your gear and step back."

The older man's words burned away most of Aetius self-recrimination. Desolas Arterius cared deeply about those under his command. He was without a doubt the greatest leader the specialist had ever served with. He followed the instructions quickly, and soon the general was standing alone inside the opening.

He put a single hand upon the ice, and started speaking. It was a twisting, guttural and completely unknown language. He was surprised that turian vocal chords could even reproduce it. His superior spoke what seemed to be many sentences, but Aetius honestly did not know what that would accomplish. Even if the man's speakers were activated, there was no atmosphere to carry the sound.

Soon, he was proven wrong.

Without warning, the purple markings shone a bright, angry red. The ground around them began to tremble lightly and all the legionnaires brought up their rifles in alarm, though no one knew where to point them. Thelam surged forward, obviously intent on dragging his general back, but Desolas put his other hand up sharply and the sergeant stopped. He calmly took his hand off the wall and stepped backwards to his men. Before their astonished eyes, the ice simply _melted_ away, beginning from the center and pushing outwards in a perfect circle. Soon, a round entrance stood before them, and the little vapor created by the ice inexplicably disappeared.

No one knew quite what to do, until the general gestured lazily to the new opening. It seemed that, for the first time since they arrived, the officer seemed willing to let his subordinates take the lead. Thelam was quick to capitalize on it. "Secure that entrance!"

Immediately, the two soldiers on the left flank crept carefully towards their side's edge. Meanwhile, the specialist and another turian did the same thing on their end, with Aetius taking point. They once more put their helmets to active vision. Upon reaching their own edge, he raised a hand to his fellow legionnaire and started to bring his fingers down. On the third, they turned their corners and scanned the area.

"Clear!" said them both. The group slowly trooped inside. The little floating emitter followed.

It was a wide cave, about thirty meters deep, but with the ceiling coming just a few heads above them. The walls were smooth, no protrusions came from the ground or ceiling, and the ice here was a more common light blue.

"There, on the back and to the right!" pointed one of them, Tacitus.

_"__Strong, sarcastic, aggressive. A front line charger, like the sergeant. Favors fast-firing assault rifles. Loyal to a fault."_

On the indicated cave wall, gunmetal grey metallic sections could be seen coming out, blending with the ice, just like the bulkhead they had found before. Amongst them was a small, uneven hole, just big enough for a person to pass comfortably. The same process from before was repeated, but upon entrance, the new interior was very different from the previous scenery.

"Sir, this is…"

"I can see what it is, Talia." interrupted their sergeant, impatient. "General, how should we proceed?"

They were inside of what was, undoubtedly, a spaceship. A very old one, judging by the design and archaic equipment. The section they were in now must have been some kind of communications and strategic center. They all had studied military history, and knew the basic configuration of warships used during the times before the Unification Wars. This was a ship used by ancient turians shortly after they discovered their own prothean ruins and started to colonize space, almost two thousand years before. To find it here, on a lost rogue moon so far out of what was known space these days, to say nothing of at that time, was nothing short of incredible. Also without logical explanation was the ice structure around and above the ship. Without an atmosphere, it should not have been able to form. Yet here it was, just like their general had promised.

There were obvious signs of damage: large panels broken around the hull, exposed wires and tubing, cracked screens and torn stations. It was no surprise, given the pieces of the ship they had found scattered around the moon. The ancient frigate's landing had not been gentle.

There were no signs of bodies, though. No chairs, no datapads or even papers and common utensils. Nothing to indicate that this part of the ship had been manned before.

"I believe we should make our way to the bridge." said their commanding officer in a ponderous voice. He indicated a passage to the left. It matched with the old schematics they had on record. In those times, turians still installed the bridge and command centers at the front of their ships.

"Understood! Move on, soldiers! Proceed with all caution. Clear every corner. Tacitus, with me, we will take point." he put back his rifle and took out the fearsome Spike Thrower. And so they went.

As they traveled through the empty corridors, went up one set of stairs, and crossed different rooms, the same things Aetius noticed before were repeated. Many signs of damage, absolutely no evidence that the spacecraft ever had a crew. This was a broken, empty tomb. The specialist felt a shiver in his spine that he tried to ignore. He could see that all of the legionnaires shared in this feeling, even Thelam was walking more stiffly than usual.

The only one who still appeared unconcerned was Desolas. He was impressed with his superior's fearlessness.

"Sergeant, do you see those markings?" came Tacitus' voice. They had just turned a corner into what they supposed was the last corridor to the bridge.

"I see them."

The rest of the team approached. As they said, the walls of the corridor were covered in markings. But these were not the sweeping lines of the ice wall they had passed. These looked like…

"Is this some sort of writing?" asked Seleen.

_"__Average build and coloration. Very quiet, very focused, but kind. The team's designated healer. Deadly good with a knife."_

Aetius had to agree with her guess, these definitely looked like letters, although of a kind he had never seen before. The turian alphabet had remained unchanged since before they first left Palaven, their species' tendencies made the turians a very homogenous people, culturally speaking. Their differences came down to an individual's tastes and preferences.

"These are not painted, they are actually engraved in the metal." remarked Bremus.

On a hunch, the specialist put the tip of a talon to one of the lines. It was a perfect fit, but he immediately dismissed the idea as absurd. For all that they looked dangerous, a turian's talons were designed more to enter the small spaces between the plates that covered most of Palaven's fauna and pull, rather than to outright cut into flesh. They could barely scratch soft rock, they certainly were nowhere near strong enough to slash battleship-grade steel!

"These are the letters of the Titans, my brothers and sisters." said the general, silver helmet tilted and a hand passing slowly over a line of text. His voice was reverent. "This is the language of the beings who once granted our people the Gift we came here to recover." they all watched the man in silence.

After about half a minute, Talia gathered enough courage to speak. "Sir, you can read them?"

"Not yet." was the soft, distracted answer. "But they tell a story. A very old story, that should have never been forgotten." then he seemed to remember where he was. He straightened and put his hands behind his back. "We are on the cusp now, my friends. Let us take the final step."

They went back to formation and proceeded the rest of the way. Just a few meters and they arrived at a closed door, the first one so far. It was also covered in the ancient writings. Thelam and Tacitus spent a couple of minutes examining it, until they just decided to grab the edge and pull. The rest of the team went back a little, and Talia and Aetius covered them.

As the physically strongest members of their unit, they made short work of the door. Beyond it was the ship's bridge, and they fanned inside.

It was an oval space. Large sections of the hull were missing, and ice had entered. Like all the other rooms, there was equipment but no furniture, or tools, or objects. No corpses. Every square centimeter of the walls, floor and ceiling was covered in the Titan's letters.

All those were secondary observations though, as the thing that immediately caught all attention was the object sitting at the very center of the room. Talia deactivated the floating emitter.

_"__Rougly three meters tall. Twin, flat panels going up in a slight spiral, surrounding a narrow pillar. Five support legs at the bottom. The central pillar glows a bright electric blue."_

"At last…" Desolas stepped ahead of them, but stopped well away from the object. He turned to them and gestured to it with a sweeping arm. "Behold, the deliverer of the Gift of the Titans. The instrument of our ascendance. That which will allow us to cleanse this galaxy from violence and corruption. The Arca Monolith!"

If they were seeing it in a picture or video, Aetius thought anyone would be forgiven for mistaking the artefact for a piece of asari art. But here, standing less than ten meters away, there was no denying that this Monolith was something beyond their understanding. There was a heavy charge in the space around it. The blue light at its center seemed to burn itself in their eyes. If he stopped to listen, the soldier could almost hear a subtle thrumming coming from it, even if he knew that was impossible. He found himself unable to turn his gaze away as a wide, powerful hope filled his very being. This was the power that could safeguard the innocents of the galaxy. This was the power that could heal his beloved son.

"Young Aetius?" Desolas's voice broke whatever force he was under. He felt a little empty, and that confused him. He brought his attention to his general. "If you would?"

The specialist hurried to comply, berating himself fiercely for his distraction. Once more he prepared his gear. This time, he would get answers. He would never again fail the man who would be responsible for saving Darius's life.

The second he started his scans, he could already tell this would be different. While that wall before had been a completely impervious body, the amount of energy the Monolith was radiating was staggering. His readings were all over the place!

"The energy readings are of the charts, General!" he went a little closer. "There's a strong magnetic field. Electric charge within the artefact is enormous. And sir, it is generating enough dark energy to rival a frigate's Mass Effect core."

"Very good, soldier. What else?"

"The artefact is affecting local gravity in some strange ways. Wait, let me try something." He took out another instrument, and took another step towards the object, he was now just three meters from it. Suddenly, a powerful arc of electricity arched from the Monolith, impacting Aetius squarely in the chest.

Pain. Agony greater than anything he ever experienced before. He could do nothing to stop it, his world was now just blue light and suffering. After an eternity, his vision went dark.

"…"

"…"

"…us!"

"…Aetius!"

"…wake up, soldier!"

"Spirits, he is dead!"

"He is _not_ dead, Talia! Legionnaire, wake up!"

The voices sounded as if a million kilometers away. Aetius felt an indescribable soreness in every one of his muscles. His bones seemed like liquid fire. He felt an incredible urge to throw up, but could not.

"He's moving! He's alive!"

"Of course he is, woman! Legionnaire, can you hear me? Talk to us!"

"He is hurt, General! He needs immediate medical attention! Let me go to him!"

"No, my dear. I am afraid what young Aetius is passing through right now is quite beyond your expertise. It is beyond any medic's expertise. However, you are all wrong to think he is in any danger."

"Sir, how can you say that?! Look at his state!"

"I know it looks terrible, and the changes coursing through him will certainly cause some pain, but you need not fear for his life. The Arca Monolith is designed to do one thing, and one thing only: to break the barriers that chain us, to jump start our bodies to the next stage of evolution."

Changes? Evolution? Aetius did not feel as if he was evolving. He felt as if every cell in his body was being destroyed, one by one. Another wave of agony surged through him, and he was sure his flesh was being ripped apart.

Yet the calm voice of his general kept going. "It is a tragedy that he had to experience the Gift in such a way. We need more time to study the Monolith, to understand how it works. At the very least, we have to make sure the process is as painless as possible for future recipients."

The radio went silent for the next few minutes, while everyone watched the soldier writher on the floor. He tried to speak, to call for help, but no sound would come out, not even grunts or moans. Suddenly, amidst all the pain, he felt cold, hard things burying inside his body. Like shards of steel, they started spreading to every one of his limbs. He was beyond the limits of suffering.

And then came the Voice.

He had been hearing it for a while, but the pain had not let him notice it before. Now, it was too loud to be ignored. It was a deep, old, terrible sound. A hungry, dark cadence that burrowed into his mind and into his heart. It washed over his own thoughts, until he could feel them slipping away like water through his fingers. It consumed him.

With a sudden ripping, pieces of his armor started to break apart, as his body grew larger.

"Spirits! He is exposed! He will not survive in vacuum!"

"I will get him!"

"You will do no such thing!" The voice of Desolas was deadly sharp now, the first time it had been raised since they landed on the moon. It was enough to silence the panicking soldiers. "Do you believe our evolved forms will be so fragile? The Void holds no threat to Aetius now, soldiers. He is beyond such weakness. The flesh…"

With a crack that reverberated across his burning brain, his helmet split open and fell away. Without the radio, he could no longer hear their voices. But the Voice inside his head did not stop, it only grew stronger. The pain was starting to wane, but it had become very hard to think, to remember.

With a wild surge of utter, horrendous panic, he realized he was losing his memories! Already he could not remember his childhood. Could not remember his parent's faces, or their names, or their voices. Could not remember his mate! His recollections were replaced by alien knowledge, dark whispers that he could not understand. And still the Voice wanted more. Its hunger would not be satisfied with just a part of him. It wanted everything he had, everything he was.

He felt a presence by his side, and found himself suddenly able to open his eyes. He could see the ceiling of the room, could see the marks engraved upon the metal. A small, fragmented part of his mind that could still contemplate such things told him that he should not have been capable of seeing so clearly just with the light given by the Monolith. Above his head, right at the edge of his vision was General Desolas Arterius, looking down at him.

He tried desperately to scream at him, to tell him that they were wrong, that the Monolith would not save them. The Voice that even now tried to silence his thoughts was wholly evil; it wanted nothing more than to consume, to dominate, to corrupt. It was stripping away his memories, his identity. _It was taking away his son!_

_"__Be calm, my brother. Soon you will no longer feel pain, ever again."_ he could not hear the general's words in his ears, but he heard them in his heart. It was the same language he had used before, at the ice wall. It knew now that it was nothing but a pale shadow of the Voice. A child's thing, taught to those too limited to understand the greatness of the truth.

The marks on the ceiling were clear to it now. It could see, it could understand. It knew what to do.

Silently, it sat up. Looking down upon itself, it saw grey plates and blue flesh. Around its body, glowing blue cables crossed the chest and every limb. Its obsolete coverings had been completely torn, the last pieces falling away as it raised to its feet. It was tall, much taller now than the rest of the Lost Creatures in the room.

The one who called himself Savior looked up at it, satisfaction in his gaze. _"Can you see the future, brother? Will you help us?"_

It listened to the Voice. Yes, it would help the False Savior, for now. The Voice needed more food, more power, and more servants. Until it could acquire the resources necessary to fulfil its purpose to the Harvest, it would need the help of the Lost. And the instrument would do its part, as dictated by the Voice.

As dictated by the Great Ones.

* * *

_Amanda, watch the door to the Room of Time! Padma, Susan, take those two on the left, don't hold back! Neville, with me! We are taking this bitch down tonight!_

_Don't worry, Harry. I have a theory. We will get you out of there soon, I promise._

_Luna came here earlier today. She was desperate, crying. She said she could not hear them anymore. She is sleeping in our guest room. I don't know how to help her._

_Neville and Hannah are going to get married today. They wanted to wait some more, but I convinced them not to. Harry would not have wanted it._

_The next one will work, I am sure, Harry. I really feel I'm on to something here. _

_It is happening all over the world. People are starting to panic. They are demanding answers, but we do not have any to give._

_The truth is a wonderful and dangerous thing, Harry._

_Ginny screamed at me. Said I'm not trying hard enough. Then she broke down, and we spent the whole morning crying on the sofa. I'm doing everything I can, I swear. _

_I have finished my studies. After much insistence, the Director has given us authorization to approach select mundane specialists about the Sundering. It could also give me some fresh ideas about Harry's case._

_Neville and Padma founded the International Defense Association. They are doing good work._

_There was a riot on the Alley. People died. We could barely keep it from spilling into the streets of London. George's shop was burned down._

_Ron came visiting last night. He and Amanda broke up. They just couldn't handle it any longer. I wish them the best._

_After my name is cleared...if you wish to... have a different house?_

_The goblins have closed all their doors and are abandoning the effort. They are retreating deep into their tunnels. I suppose it is a blessing. A revolt would have been much worse._

_Hogwarts is finally closing its doors. I went to see Filius, it was heartbreaking._

_A man named Sinclair is giving trouble to the yanks. He claims to have the means to save us, but his methods are fanatical, barbaric. By all accounts, he seems to be just as powerful as Riddle was. At least he doesn't bother with fake names and silly titles. They have asked the IDF for help._

_Nothing works. We cannot reverse it. I do not know what else to try._

_We just received word that the ICW declared a ban on all dragon products. Charlie said they lost their last one to poachers yesterday. He was so devastated._

_Sinclair's cult detonated a ritual circle on the States. It wiped out a whole town. They managed to pin the blame on a terrorist attack, but they are running out of excuses._

_We just received a report. Antoinette Calissari is officially the first magic user on Mars, but it's an empty victory. The planet is dead._

_There is a door at the Department of Mysteries that is always locked. It contains a power more wondrous and terrible than death, than the human intelligence, than the forces of nature._

_Five more Ministries have left the Confederation. Two more have been dissolved. We managed to stop India and China's war, but the damage was horrendous._

_Victor Sinclair is dead. Neville brought the man down himself, but he didn't make it. The U.S. President awarded him the Medal of Freedom. Hannah received it in his name._

_I am seeing this mundane doctor that is working with us, John Wilkins. He is a very good man. His daughter is a little cold to me, but I am sure I can win her over._

_I cannot do this anymore. We have so many things to do. I'm so sorry, Harry. I have to let you go._

_They are going to do it. I have gone over the ritual myself, and the arithmancy is sound. It could work._

_The mundanes have made threats again. They are making demands we simply cannot agree to. But we cannot fight them as we are. I am afraid of what they will do. I am afraid of what our response will be. _

_Goodbye, Harry._

**Only death can bring life.**

'THUNCK'

The sound of a heavy object hitting the floor snapped Harry awake. It took him many seconds to get his bearings, and to chase away the remnants of his dream. He looked around and finally recognized the familiar interior of his ship's cabin, the lights comfortably dim.

Outside, night had fallen. A better look at the windows told him they were currently flying lazily over one of Shanxi's gigantic lakes. There were no clouds, and without any city-lights the Milky Way could be seen in all its splendor, reflected on the still waters. Only the faint thrumming of engines broke the silence of the world. He would usually have a much greater appreciation for the sight, but right now his mind was still full of old shadows.

He remembered what they were doing, now. Astrid had asked (whined) about a little ride after Letia had visited. After a couple of hours spent removing the more questionable parts of his recording and tidying up some other things, they went off to their favorite mountain range for some stupidly reckless flying. A long time later, Harry declared they had enough and started on their way home, but once more the sentient starship asked (whined) for 'just a little longer'. And he, in his usual infinite lack of good sense, had agreed.

Astrid was perfectly capable of flying by herself. And on a remote place like Shanxi, it would have been safe to do so. Yet for all her non-stop complaining about being grounded all the time and having nothing to do, she always refused to fly without him, unless it was an emergency. Harry just did not get women some times. But in any case, he had told her to just go wherever she wanted while he did some reading...

Oh, right.

He looked around, a little more focused this time, and sure enough there was a large half-open book on the floor, right next to his left foot. He bent down to grab the soft brow leather of the cover, bringing it back to his lap. He started closing it, but his eyes got draw to the writing on the very first page, like they always were.

_Notes and Memoires of Dr. Hermione J. Wilkins._

He did not know how long he spent tracing those eight words with his finger; much more than was healthy, he was sure; before a soft voice came from the ship's speakers.

"The dream again?"

"Yes." was his simple response.

There was a pause, where he knew she was considering her next words. "Harry, you have to stop doing this to yourself."

With a sigh, he finally closed the journal, putting it over the nearby chair. "I know, girl. Trust me, I know. Bloody hell, I promised myself I would stop this after I left Earth. But it's just so hard."

"I get you." she went on, voice full of compassion. "But this really isn't helping. Every time you pick up that diary, or those letters, or those old newspapers, it's like a little piece of you dies again. It is _painful_ to watch, Harry."

"I'm sorry, Astrid. I understand that. I understand it here." he tapped his forehead. "But here," he then tapped the left side of his chest, "is a bit more complicated."

They spent a few minutes in companionable silence, Harry watching the stars slowly dance above them. When Astrid spoke again, she had an exaggerated condescending tone. "You meatbags. You know the heart is just an ugly flesh pump, yes? It isn't a data disk for your little organic feelings."

That gave him a small smile. It wasn't the terrible joke, but the sincerity of the intention behind it that lifted his mood. For all their gripping with each other, he honestly didn't know what he would have done without her for the past few years. "Tell that to the heart, Astrid." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before physically shaking himself, giving light slaps to his face. "That's it! That's enough angst for today." he straightened himself on the pilot's chair, grimacing as his back popped into place again. He hated sleeping on chairs! "Time to go home. I need a proper bed."

"_Must_ we?" at his unimpressed look, she continued. "Tsk. All right, I get it. Little princess needs her beauty sleep. Here, at least do it yourself." she passed control over to his console again.

He just chuckled, and put them on a course for Green 14. During the way back, he busied himself with some deep scans of the lakebed. That spot right there looked interesting, he would have to come back later to check it out.

It did not take long for him to realize that Astrid had yet to utter a single word, which was very unusual for her. He knew she was not really angry, even she was not that childish. In the end, he just chalked it up to her still being worried about him.

He really should have known better.

"So, Harry." those two words were spoken with absolute nonchalance. Of course, he was instantaneously suspicious.

"What is it, Astrid?"

"While you were taking your nap, I passed close to Central."

Sweet Titania, what had she done now? "All right, so?"

"And I happened to listen in on the military communications..."

"You what?!"

"...and there were some _really_ interesting chats going on over there." she continued, ignoring him. "And it got me curious; and I may have kind-of entered the Alliance secure network..."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"...and in the middle of all that junk about weapons research, navy deployments, candidates for promotion... you know, the usual jarhead stuff (there was even some _porn_ in there, can you believe it?), I found this really juicy data packet, just coming fresh from one of the 7th Flotilla's ships."

Harry's mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Frankly, he was a little too stupefied for words at the moment.

"And I _really_ think you should have a look at it." she concluded.

He slowly managed to reengage his brain. "Astrid... that's just... you... bloody hell, girl?! You can't just 'listen in' on the Navy's channels like that! And to actually _hack_ into their network? Have you gone completely bonkers?!" he was doing everything he could to keep from blowing his top.

"Pfft! It's not like they would catch me." she said with obvious derision.

"Getting caught _isn't the point._" he bit out through gritted teeth.

"Harry, you must see these files."

The sudden and grim seriousness of her voice caught him by surprise. That was so unlike her, he could feel his anger being replaced by worry faster than he could stop it.

"I... all right, Astrid. But this better be good."

"Just read." she once again took control and started relaying the data.

Just a minute into his reading and he had completely forgotten his aggravation with the ship's unlawful practices. As he continued to view the records and battle data collected by the SSV _Kings Mountain_, the results of the Alliance officer's meeting, and the reports on the emergency procedures being covertly implemented, he felt his heart grow heavier with each passing minute. Half an hour later, he was finished.

So that was it, then. After four years, they finally met the sentient extraterrestrial species he had hoped so hard to find. And that species had just killed seventy two people, and injured eighteen more, without apparent incitement. Merlin, that was just like one of those bad sci-fi movies Dean had insisted they watch...

"Well, bollocks." was his succinct summary of the situation.

"So, what do you think will happen?" asked his companion, who had not uttered a single word while he read the files. There was just the tinniest hint of anxiousness in her voice.

"Astrid, I don't rightfully know." he passed a hand through his hair, messing it even more than usual. "I think the Alliance's decision to secure their downed ship's remains is a reasonable one. If those are some sort of 'conquer them all' people, they getting the information from any surviving computer on a warship could be disastrous. On the other hand, I think the Navy may be a little _too_ willing to shoot at the slightest provocation. They will arrive there, all big ships and guns blazing, and if those people are just a warrior civilization, like the goblins, they will only feel challenged rather than intimidated."

"Should we go take a look?" she suggested.

Harry took a minute to think about that. It was very tempting to go take a gander themselves. But in the end he shook his head. "No, we shouldn't. It's a four hour trip to that system on each leg. I don't want to risk these beings arriving at Shanxi while we are away. If nothing else, I can try to keep some people safe." he nodded to himself. "Besides, our presence might complicate matters. Remember, your particular brand of stealth is only guaranteed to work against mundane technology."

"We don't know if some, or all, of them are magical." she concluded. "And if they _are_, we don't know frickles about the extension of their powers."

"Quite."

"You think they will come here?"

"As invaders you mean; Merlin, that's so clichéd. Well, if they want to pick a bone with us for whatever reason, it would not be hard to find Shanxi. Even if they don't extract that information from the Alliance's ship, that system is only two light years away."

"Ok, then. Suppose they are hostile, cruel and want to experiment on us. What about reinforcements from the Alliance?"

"That's another problem." he breathed out harshly. "As far as I know, the scientists are still having trouble with FTL communications. They haven't found anything about that in the Prothean Archives until now, so they had to begin from scratch. Like that admiral said, a courier will need more than two and a half days to reach Arcturus Station. A situation like this means the Alliance will have to pass the matter up to the UN." he smiled ruefully. "If there is one thing that hasn't changed in 150 years, it's politicians."

"Even after the UN reaches a consensus, there is still the question of logistics. They will never take the First Fleet out of Arcturus, that would leave both the station and Sol undefended. That leaves the Second and the Third Fleets. They are both still scattered around a dozen clusters, most of them on the opposite direction to Shanxi, and those also cannot be left completely unguarded. That will mean more couriers, and more time. Then they will have to think about scouting, supply lines, and a hundred other military things I haven't got a clue about."

"So we will basically be on our own for a good while, then?"

"It seems like it, yes."

"Okay then, what's the plan?"

Harry smiled. At no point did Astrid make any suggestions for them to just leave the system, something they could very easily do. She knew him too well.

"First, we pack the house. Whatever happens, we might need to move quickly. Then I will start preparing some stuff in the lab. I can also think of a couple ways to boost the colony's defenses without it being too obvious. I will need your help with that." he shook his head. "If these people don't have magic, it should leave them baffled for a time. If they _do_ have magic, it may level the field for the Alliance a little." for so long all he wished was to find a species capable of using magic. Now here he was, hoping they would not. The irony left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Anything else will have to wait until we can find out more about them. And all that is supposing they _will_ come looking for a fight. Things might get sorted out at Shanxi-Theta, or they may not come shooting, or they could bypass the colony entirely."

"With your luck, Harry?" Astrid's tone was not accusing or judgmental, just a statement of fact.

"I know." he sighed. "I want you to continue monitoring the Alliance channels. Keep me informed."

"HA! Who is the lawbreaker now?" crowed the sentient craft triumphantly.

"Oh, put a sock on it, will you?"

They fell into another silence while the Trailblazer burned towards Green 14, now at high speed, both deeply contemplative. Well, Harry was contemplative. He could not begin to guess what his crazy ship was thinking right then. It was only when they were a couple of minutes from arriving, that something she said registered on his mind.

"Wait a second. Astrid, you said you found _porn_ on the Navy's mainframes?"

"Oh, yeah! Funny thing, huh? Most of it was uploaded by a Corporal Charles Moreau. That guy has some strange tastes. Not "ew" strange, mind you. Just... unusual. What is so interesting about women with animal ears and tails, anyway?"

"You know what? Just forget I asked."

* * *

Avani stood back to inspect her work and nodded, satisfied. Each one of the samples they had taken from the southern marshes had been planted inside their respective nutrition capsules. Fifteen of the waist-high white cylinders were neatly arranged along the greenhouse's wall. Now all she had to do was wait and monitor them very closely.

Those were not the only samples they had collected, of course. The total number of specimens they had gathered for further examination bordered on two hundred, among seeds, flowers, stems and leaves. And those were only the most promising candidates for medicinal properties, human and animal consumption, and simple decoration. She and the other scientists had divided the load amongst themselves using a most professional and analytical process (poker, Texas hold'em), and she got some great ones! In fact, a sister of the little flower she gave to Harry was on the forth capsule from the left.

She took off her working coveralls and thoroughly washed her hands and forearms. All around her were greens, yellows, blues and reds. The familiar scents were comforting for her. Be it at Earth, or at a planet a galactic arm away, the feel of a well-kept greenhouse was the same. With one last look upon her beloved little ones, she went outside and sealed the door. Night had fallen some time ago, and thanks to Shanxi's slow rotation speed, it would remain dark for most of the following waking hours.

On her way to the house, she saw one of her assistants carefully watching over a small, floating drone while it worked over a patch of land. "Everything all right with nº 08?"

"So far it looks fine, Ms. Bahtia. Mr. Hiroishi may not be the most amiable fellow, but he does good work."

"That he does, Emmet. If 08 keeps it up for the next half-hour, you can go back to the lab."

"Sure thing, Ms. Bahtia."

With a last smile to the solicitous young man, Avani took the remaining few meters to the back door to her kitchen/service area. Right before opening it, she took a look at the sky just in time to catch the very faint streak of blinking lights crossing to the north. Probably one more of the Alliance's shuttles, which was somewhat curious. There had been an unusual flurry of activity in the skies of Shanxi for the last several hours. Most of the time, the only vehicle around Green 14 that was not a land transport was Harry's ship. Shrugging to herself, she went inside.

"So there I was, just getting out of my ship at Arcturus…"

And speaking of the devil.

The mother could hear the voices of her children and their favorite neighbor coming out from their small living room. As was common in prefab units, everything but the bedrooms and bathroom was one big connected space. The room's sofa was turned away from the kitchen, and none of its occupants had seen her enter. Avani would bet that Harry knew she was there, though. She had long noticed that the man possessed an incredible sense of awareness.

"And then, the guy accuses me of stealing his contract!" he continued his story. Avani stopped just at the edge of the kitchen, leaning on the wall. "Right there, in the middle of the loading bay! And he was not quiet, mind you. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at us, and of course a group of Marines was stationed nearby and came to see what all the fuss was about."

Samesh snickered, while Lucretia just waited for him to keep going, a smirk on her lips.

"And it _just_ turns out that the corporal in charge of those Marines was a guy I had picked up a fight with in a bar on Terra Nova, because he was being very rude to this lady there. I mean, for real? Of all the hundreds of thousands of Marines in the galaxy, it had to be the only one that had a bone to pick with me, because of something that happened a year before and two thousand light-years away?"

Her son gave a little laugh, while his sister shot him an incredulous look. "Harry, you've got one of the worst lucks I have ever seen."

"You don't know the half of it." he said with a sigh. She thought she heard a strange tinge on his voice, but it was gone before she could ponder it. "Anyway, the soldiers took me away for questioning, and the corporal and the other Voyager actually _shook hands_, right there in front of me! Then I spent the next five hours inside a small room, having to show every last document I had, and provide proof of every single one of my contracts. And all the while the bloke just stood there drinking coffee and looking smug."

Avani smiled. She could hear the swearing on Harry's tone. She was certain only Samesh's presence kept him from calling the man something nasty. She was also certain that the whole thing had been a much tenser affair than he was letting them know. Voyagers abusing the privileges given to them were committing a serious crime. And if the people doing the questioning were set on making everything as difficult as possible, those must have been some truly unpleasant hours.

"After that, however, my luck finally turned up. Apparently, they looking into my files raised a red flag somewhere, because suddenly a lieutenant came storming inside the room and started to demand just what the soldiers thought they were doing, detaining an innocent man without proof. Everyone went pale, and when they all looked to the corporal at the same time, I swear the guy was going to faint. The lieutenant, I think his name was Hackett, apologized profusely in the name of the Alliance, assured me that they valued my work very much, and said that I would be given a bonus on my contract as a 'thank you'. And at each word the corporal looked like he was getting sicker. Before the door closed behind me, I could already hear the shouting." he sounded very pleased at the memory.

"Yes! He deserved it!" said Samesh, arms crossed and nodding haughtily.

"You bet he did, mate." agreed the man, giving the boy a high-five. Lucretia just shook her head at them.

"Kids. Well Harry, great that it worked out for you in the end. Still, I can't believe the nerve of that guy."

"Not so great, were they?" challenged her little man.

It was the girl's turn to cross her arms. "Hey! I never said that the Navy had just nice guys on it, pipsqueak. And an officer came and put them in their place, yeah?"

"So they just stopped because a big guy came in? Why none of the others did anything?" was the surprisingly insightful counter.

"Look, they were all wrong, no question about that. That corporal was a piece of s…"

"Harry, so nice of you to visit!" she interrupted, shooting a dirty look at her daughter, who just cringed.

The man was quick to take his cue. "Ah, the lovely Ms Bahtia." Rising from the sofa, he came to Avani and asked for her hand with a flourish. When she giggled and offered it, he took and kissed it. "How can I not come to gaze upon the beauty of the prettiest flower this side of the Orion Arm?" he said, in a very over-the-top manner.

Her children both smiled, argument forgotten. She smothered her own smile and gave him an imperious look. "Mr. Harry Evans. Care to explain exactly how you can flirt with me so shamelessly, when you _still_ won't call me Avani?"

"Ah, but I am English, Madame. And a true Englishman would never be so disrespectful."

"And being a flirt is not disrespectful?"

"Not when it's done with style."

That cracked them all up. Avani swatted him on the shoulder and went back to the kitchen, intent on some fresh water. "Can I get you anything, Harry?" he gave her a negative wave and a grateful look. She filled a glass for herself, took a long drink, and turned back to him.

"All right, seriously now. To what do we own the pleasure?"

Harry's smile dimmed, and a weary look entered his eyes. It was the first sign she had that not everything was all right.

"Actually, Ms. Bahtia," he indicated the two youngsters subtly, who were now behind him and could not see the gesture, "I really did came here to see you. I have come across a very important scientific matter that I need to discuss with you, personally."

She could understand his meaning. She also saw Lucretia giving him a beaming smile. Her daughter had been dropping hints all the time yesterday that Harry had something really incredible to show to her. Something told her this conversation would not be about that, though.

"Of course, Harry. Lucretia, Samesh, do your mother a favor, all right? Emmet is outside keeping an eye on our problem drone, seeing if all the kinks have been worked out, but I really need him in the lab right now. Can you go and relieve him? Just make sure the little guy is doing his job for half an hour, then you can come back."

Samesh was obviously unenthusiastic, but the girl got up without complaint and went to him. "C'mon half-stuff, let's save poor Emmet from boredom."

He got up reluctantly, and shot his sister a sullen look. "Why do you have to keep calling me that?"

"You will stop being a half-stuff when you turn into a full-stuff. Now let's go."

A few more grumblings and they were out. She made sure they were on their way before closing the door and coming back to her guest. He was standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back and looking distractedly outside the window. His mind was clearly somewhere else. "Harry?"

He brought his attention once more to her, and gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry about this, Ms. Bahtia, but I really do need to speak with you about a very urgent matter."

"Oh, Harry, there's truly no problem. And for goodness' sake, it's _Avani_." She shook her head and went to take a seat on the sofa. She indicated for him to sit as well, but he had started to pace now. "What is it that got you so worried, my friend?"

He continued to pace for a minute, obviously trying to formulate his answer. In the end, he scratched the back of his head in consternation and sighed. "Oh, bloody hell. There's no way of saying this in an easier way." he looked straight in her eyes. "Ms. Bahtia, what I am about to tell you may sound a little absurd; or not, come to think of it; but I assure you it's the truth."

"Harry, I never knew you to be a liar or to exaggerate facts. I will believe anything you say."

"All right." he took a deep breath. "I came across some very important information from a… source of mine in the Alliance. It seems the ships that were supposed to open up Shanxi-Theta were attacked by an unknown force. One of the ships got destroyed, and the other escaped to warn us. It's the reason why the ANN hasn't been giving any more reports on the activation, and are just running interviews."

Avani put a hand to her mouth. She could feel a small seed of fear forming on the pit of her stomach. "An 'unknown' force? Harry, does this mean…" she could not finish the phrase.

Harry sighed again. "Yes, Ms. Bahtia. By the report of the surviving ship, it seems yesterday we had a First Contact of the worst kind."

The mother felt stunned, but she did not doubt his words. After the discovery of the Prothean Archives, the existence of sapient extraterrestrial life had been proven beyond any shadow of doubt. Humanity knew there were aliens out there, aliens who were very technologically advanced and who had been to their very Solar System and studied their distant ancestors. She had been a researcher in the Martian Terraforming Project at the time, and while the mood on Lowell City had been mostly one of great enthusiasm, the news back from Earth were a different matter.

Even though earlier testing had put the Archives as more than forty thousand years old, their existence had reawakened all kinds of myths and conspiracy theories; from the reptilians, to Area 51, to the supposedly alien Egyptian gods. People on Earth divided their time between exultation and outright panic. News agencies got crazy, people went to the streets to protest against their governments 'hiding the truth' from them, and suddenly 'legitimate' prothean artefacts started to appear in every seedy market on the planet. For the most part, the more conservative religions could not provide good enough answers to accommodate the new truth, and ended up seeing the greatest exodus of their faithful in human history.

Fortunately, practical minds had focused their attention on the more immediate concerns. So there were aliens, be they Protheans or some other race. If they were peaceful, that was fine. But what if they were not? While the Systems Alliance had been mostly founded as a means to unify the economic and scientific power of Earth's nations in order to meet the astronomical costs of extrasolar colonies, the Alliance Navy was formed as a direct answer to that question. Spurned by public opinion, the Navy found itself with a budget that would have made even the most fanatical war hawk self-conscious, and they put it to good use. Only eight years later, the military arm of humanity on space boasted more than two hundred and fifty warships of various weights, with more being constructed all the time. While the initial personnel had been picked from the various armed forces of the Alliance's signatories, there was no shortage of volunteers.

And now it seemed that all the fear and preparation had been justified.

Harry had been watching her reaction, and he was clearly reluctant to continue, but could not stop now. "And it gets worse, I'm afraid."

"Worse?" she croaked.

He nodded, face very grim now. "The admiral in charge of the Expeditionary Flotilla decided to go and stop the attackers from messing up with the remains of their ship. There was also the hypothesis that the aggressors could have been human, which wasn't that farfetched, really, but it seems that was not the case. They returned just an hour ago. They found the other people and ended up fighting them again. The Alliance won, but more of the other ships came into the system, with a cruiser this time, and they decided to retreat rather than risk losing ships and giving them more research material."

"And these… people, they are coming here? To Shanxi?"

"That has not been confirmed, but it is very likely. We are too close to Shanxi-Theta; all they have to do is go to the nearest planetary system to find it. Now, just because they attacked us, doesn't necessarily mean they will invade us. But the Alliance is working with the worst case scenario in mind."

Avani sat for a while, just trying to process that information. Her initial feeling was of disappointment; though at whom she was not sure. She had been one of the 'hopefuls'; those who believed the Protheans intentions were benign, and that First Contact would be the bridge to an unprecedented cultural and technological revolution. That belief seemed silly, now.

Immediately, however, her thoughts turned to Samesh and Lucretia. And that earlier seed of fear turned into a full, ugly dread.

"Harry, my children! How am I going to keep them safe from an alien invasion?!" she put her arms around herself and closed her eyes. The mother was a brave woman, but her head was full of dreadnoughts raining fire upon the red earth and hulking grey monstrosities roaming the streets. What could a glorified farmer do against that? She had not felt so powerless since her childhood, when she had to fend off muggers, kidnappers and worse things on the dirty alleys of Dheli's slums.

She felt a gentle touch. Rising her head, she found Harry sitting on the sofa next to her, just close enough to put a comforting hand upon her arm.

"Ms. Bahtia… Avani. Do you trust me?"

He was looking straight into her eyes, and all she could see in his green gaze now was an iron-clad determination. She suddenly realized that all of his earlier worry and agitation had been for her; for how he was going to tell his grave news and how she would take them. This was not the face of a man who was afraid, or even truly anxious about the looming darkness. This was the face of a man who saw a trial and would let nothing stop him from overcoming it.

Avani Bahtia was not an innocent woman. She had stared in the face of human depravity, felt it with her own hands, and knew fully well the lengths that men and women could go to in order to survive. She understood that even the most law-abiding citizen could become a monster when things became desperate.

But she had also seen another side. A doctor turned prostitute who always treated the ailments of the poor for free, a smile on her face, even when they scorned her. An old _Shaivite_ who stood between a gang and their prey, frail body firm and face defiant. A retired soldier who caught a thief in the act, and instead of running her off or calling the police, gave her shelter, food and a future.

She had known Harry Evans for little more than six months, but she knew that he was like them. There was a fundamental goodness to this man, an innate sense of right and wrong that could not be forsaken, even when he wished for nothing else. A man who knew that many times, the only reward of decency was to have it tested again, and again, and again.

"Yes." was the simple answer.

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze and let it go. His hand went inside a breast pocket. "Then believe me when I say that you three are going to be fine. The local garrison has been making preparations for almost a day now. Right as we speak, the governor has given orders to evacuate all civilians to the deeper cave systems around Central and the Inner Settlements. Marines have been moving material, food and equipment inside them non-stop, you may have noticed the frantic shuttle traffic. They should keep you safe of anything short of nuclear bombardment. We can hold long enough for the Fleets to arrive."

He took out a small pendant in the shape of a yellow rose, connected to an unusually long chain. "More importantly, _I_ won't let anything happen to you." he took her hand and put the piece of jewelry on it.

She examined it, confused. "What is this, Harry?"

"That, is a very… special device. One of my own making." he gave her another penetrating look. "If we do end up with a battle in our doorsteps, I will most likely not be able to stay with you. I have skills I can use to help the Alliance."

She just nodded. She did not doubt that.

"If that happens, and you find yourselves in imminent danger, then I want you to take hold of this pendant and have both Letia and Sam grab the chain tightly. And anyone in proximity to you, too." he closed her hand around the little object. "After you do that, I want you to say the word 'Activate', followed by the word 'Shelter'. Those precise words, in that exact order. Make _absolutely sure_ that the others are holding the chain, otherwise the device will not work for them, and it is a one-shot thing."

"What will it do?"

"It will keep you safe." he responded. At her look, he went on. "This is the part where you have to trust me, Avani. I cannot explain how the device works, there is no time. But it will make it impossible to hurt you and anyone else who uses it."

It was Avani's turn to gaze deeply into the Voyager's eyes. She spent a long moment looking for something inside them, until she simply nodded.

She was a scientist, a woman ruled by logic and facts. What Harry was speaking about here sounded like some kind of magical power, or sci-fi fantasy. A small flower pendant capable of somehow rendering people impervious to damage? There was absolutely no logical reason to believe in his words.

But she did.

She took the chain and put it around her neck. It came down almost to her navel. "'Activate', followed by 'Shelter', correct?" he nodded.

She got up, and waited for him to do the same. Them, without warning, she hugged him. She felt him stiffen in surprise for a few seconds, before he relaxed and patted her back gently.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Ms. Bahtia."

Despite all her worries, she let out a small laugh. _"So, now that the heavy moment is over I am back to being Ms. Bahtia, huh?"_

She had just let him go when the front door opened, letting her son and daughter in. Lucretia looked anxious, while Samesh was just confused. "Mom, we have another visitor. And it looks urgent." said the young woman.

That was when they saw the large figure of Sergeant Dale, of the Green 14 Marine detachment, standing on the doorway. At her nod, he stepped in, put his hands behind his back, and spoke in a respectful but firm manner.

"Ms. Bahtia, Mr. Evans, I am here to collect you all. There has been a planet-wide emergency and we are having to implement some safety procedures. We need all inhabitants of the settlement to gather immediately in the main square. All explanations will be given shortly."

She nodded. "All right! Samesh, go put your excursion clothes. Lucretia, do the same. I want you ready in 10 minutes. Will that be good enough, Mr. Dale?"

Her children looked very surprised, but no more than the soldier. He obviously had not expected her to comply so quickly and without question. A do-it-now-or-I-will-be-very-displeased look from her saw the two youngsters moving to obey. "I will do the same, please excuse me."

On the way to her room, she heard the sergeant speak again. "Mr. Evans, I also have a notice from Colonial Authority to you. It concerns your ship." she stopped and turned back to watch. "I am sorry to say, sir, but Authority will have to confiscate your vehicle for the duration of this emergency. There is a ban on all civilian air or ground traffic until the situation is resolved."

Dale had been through the rigors of military training and many years of service. He was a head taller and much broader at the shoulders than Harry. He wore full armor, had an assault rifle on his back and a handgun on his hip, while the Voyager was dressed only in a shirt and pants, and did not carry any weapons.

And despite all that, the expression on Harry's face made him flinch and shrink a little within himself.

Avani smiled and went inside her room.

* * *

"As I said, your fleet is being immediately redeployed, General."

The words echoed firmly within the austere confines of the meeting room. Behind his back, Desolas Arterius' hands were clenched hard. It was only a lifetime of discipline and experience that allowed him to stand dutifully at attention and not to give any outward signs of his anger. They were so close! This wretched situation could not have come at a worst time.

Even though he knew it was useless, he had to try. "High General Pavlus, I would never excuse myself from carrying out the Hierarchy's will. But I must again remind Command that my ships are just returning from a long tour on the edge of the Traverse. My soldiers have been away from their homes for much time, years in some cases, and while they would serve just as faithfully for another one, they deserve the chance to see their families."

He could see in the other turian's eyes that the wizened warrior sympathized with his words. Unfortunately, that sympathy would not grant Desolas his wish.

"Regardless, General, the decision has been made. The 16th Fleet is currently our closest available force not occupied with other critical duties." the older soldier's hands pressed together beneath his jaw. "To be honest, Arterius, there are some other fleets we could deploy, but those could not be moved without immediately alarming the Council. While we have no intentions of hiding this matter from our fellow races, Palaven Command wishes to keep the full scope of the situation confidential until we learn more about this new people."

_"__That is to say, until we can see if it would be feasible to make them into a client race."_ complemented Desolas.

Amongst other Council species, the turian practice of maintaining client races had been a matter of much debate throughout history. While only the most fanatical would call it a form of slavery; as client races maintained their governments and enjoyed full citizenship rights within the Hierarchy except for the ability to occupy the higher political or military offices; the tradition was still looked upon with reserve by many. By-and-wide, turians were seen as the guardians of the galaxy, the keepers of law and peace. They guided and nurtured the races subordinated to them, and brought the unsurpassed weight of their military force upon any who threatened their lives. To their enemies and detractors however, turians where little more than glorified tyrants; hiding a desire to rule other species behind a veneer of honor.

The truth, as was often the case, was somewhere in between.

Desolas was not young, and many would say his experience and military record should earn him a more important position than as leader of one of their smaller fleets, and they would be right. Desolas had many times been offered a greater Command and citizenship tier, even a rank of High General, like the one currently passing him instructions. But he refused to leave the 16th, always citing an unbreakable bond with his ships and his soldiers, and a humble unpreparedness for higher responsibilities. As turians valued the acceptance of one's limitations more than the pursuit of ambition, none questioned his motives.

They should have, because his motives were a lie.

Knowing that arguing any further would only bring suspicion upon him, Desolas resigned himself to the delay on his plans. "I understand, High General. It will be done." at the superior's nod, he permitted his stance to relax slightly. "Now, could you give me the summary, sir?"

With a gesture from the old turian, a much younger aide came to his side and gave him a datapad. He scrolled through the data quickly, a simple review of well memorized information. "67 hours ago, the 53rd Patrol Group belonging to the 11th Legion was sent to search for a possible pirate's nest in the poorly mapped Australis Margo Cluster. In order to more efficiently search the large area, the Group's commander ordered her ships to split. 31 hours ago, four of those ships encountered two unidentified, frigate-weight vessels in a small planetary system. They stood watch from the relative cover of a gas giant. 27 hours ago, they confirmed that the unknowns were in the process of activating a dormant Mass Relay. Due to light-lag, the process had been ongoing for more than 2 hours. Following Citadel law, and aware of the urgency, the officer in charge of the detachment ordered a direct intervention upon the offending vessel. They proved to be warships of considerable quality. When the one responsible for the transmission to the Relay failed to interrupt its activation signal, even under combat, they were forced to terminate it. The second vessel fled the system before it could be subdued."

"Afterwards, they sent a message probe to the Group's rendezvous point, and prepared to wait for their arrival. Three of the ships stood guard next to the partially-activated Relay, designated Relay CS-314. The fourth ship, the light frigate _Occram_, conducted an investigation of the unknown frigate's remains that, due to inertia, had drifted for a considerable distance. Some data was collected and sent to the lead ship. Before the rest of the 53rd could arrive, the unknowns returned with five frigates of the same type encountered before and a cruiser-class warship. While the _Occram _was in the process of collecting its EVA personnel and return to the group, the now designated hostiles made a short-range FTL jump between them. The isolated frigate was surrounded by three hostiles while the remaining ones positioned themselves to stop any attempt of rescue."

"The leading officer designed a plan to use electromagnetic charges as a distraction and allow the surrounded frigate to flee. The plan was foiled however, as the enemy ship's sensors were unexpectedly resistant to the charge's effects. The hostiles opened fire. The _Occram _managed to retreat for a thousand kilometers before it was destroyed. Our remaining ships retreated from the immediate area and settled for executing threat runs; either in case the hostiles once more attempted to activate the Relay, or tamper with the _Occram's_ wreckage. They seemed more concerned with guarding their own ship's debris, however, and did not make the same decision to split their own forces. No new attempt to approach the Relay, or transmit to it, was made."

The high general looked up into Desolas' eyes as he concluded. "Six hours and 17 minutes later, the rest of the 53rd arrived; five light frigates, one heavy frigate and the cruiser _Ascendant Shadow_. Realizing themselves once more outmatched, the unknowns left the system. But not before the hostile's frigates bombarded the larger pieces of their wreckage, an obvious attempt to difficult any additional investigation. Further search of the remains revealed that it had been stripped of any corpses or other objects of importance."

General Arterius took a moment to assimilate the information, and then nodded. "I understand. And what of the information that led to our deployment? Is it related to the data the _Occram_ was able to extract and transmit before its demise?"

"That is correct. Lieutenant, if you would take it from here." responded the older officer. He gestured to his aide, and the turian woman smartly saluted Desolas.

"General, it's an honor." he just gestured for her to continue, hiding his impatience in Pavlus' presence. "The alien ship's main data banks were apparently located very closely to its Mass Effect core. Upon the ship's destruction, an electrical discharge from the core completely fried the mainframe, and almost every other electronic device onboard. Our technicians believe the configuration is made on purpose, an admittedly ingenious way to limit the very same information gathering we attempted. Also, the _Occram _suffered from a lack of specialized equipment. They mostly had to make do with their omnitools."

Desolas scratched his left mandible in thought. It _was_ a clever defense. The kind of thing a salarian would come up with.

She continued. "But the _Occram_ found what we believe to be personal digital devices belonging to members of the crew. Though damaged, their engineers were able to salvage data from some of them. Fragments of video files, audio recordings, we are still going over it all. Sadly, not all the gathered data was transmitted before we lost the ship. Also, the linguistic and cultural barriers make much of what we do have incomprehensible for the moment. One of the devices revealed two crucial pieces of information, though. First, a short video file showing what we believe to be a defense exercise that accurately portrays all the ships in the alien's fleet. Second, an astrogation chart of the cluster showing the position of their main base of operations. It is a planet on a system just a few hours from Relay 314."

"Also, we have established a means of communication." the woman looked satisfied with that. "Right before the situation deteriorated, the new species attempted to hail our ships. They used one of the later prothean dialects. Given their advanced use of Mass Effect technology, we already expected them to have found a repository of their own, and this confirms it. You can use this as a bridge to facilitate interactions."

The high general once more took the word. "Therein lies your deployment, General. Though the 16th Fleet is relatively small, it still outnumbers the expected enemy naval presence three to one. With the addition of the 53rd, of which you will assume nominal command for the duration of this campaign, that number goes up yet again. You are to take your ships, meet up with the Patrol Group, and proceed to subjugate any military forces on the planet. Standard limitations on armaments will apply if the target is a garden world. Any apparent civilian population must be pacified, but their casualties should be kept to a minimum. If no distinction can be made between military targets and civilian ones, treat them as the former. At all times, you must look for any knowledge you can about the species. How you go about that is up to your discretion, but give it the utmost attention. Any information regarding their military strength, prothean knowledge, and the location of their homeworld and other colonies, if applicable, is top priority. After the planet has been secured, Palaven Command will use the information obtained to make further plans for the species."

While the high general had been giving his brief overview of the operational plan, Desolas was only half-listening. His thoughts were once again on his interrupted plans. Perhaps this was not such a bad turn of events after all. Here he was, being given command of a planetary invasion on a remote system, away from any oversight. He would have to be careful, but it could be possible to use this as an opportunity to test the Arca Monolith. No one would care about the new aliens, and some turian casualties would only be expected...

"That is the summary, General. More detailed information has already been sent to your staff. High Commander Vakarian will be expecting your arrival in a day.

Wait, who?

"Excuse me, sir. But did you say _Vakarian_?"

The older turian's brow plates scrunched up in confusion. "Mavis Vakarian, yes. She assumed command of the 53rd almost seven months ago, if I'm not mistaken."

This time, Desolas obviously failed to completely hide his emotions. Fortunately, his superior also misinterpreted the reasons for his dismay. "Ah, it seems you are aware of the High Commander's reputation." he made a dismissive gesture. "I assure you General, that Vakarian is utterly capable, and has never failed to complete any assignments given to her. While she can be... willful, and has taken some risks in her command that other wouldn't, she will follow orders as dutifully as any soldier."

Desolas hastily resumed his neutrality. "No, High General, I don't have any problems with Vakarian. I was just surprised, that's all. In fact, she served with me on a tour two years ago, and I am well aware of her competence."

"Ah, very good then." Pavlus smiled, then stood from his chair. "You are dismissed, General. We hope for a swift resolution to this unfortunate situation. Spirits be with you."

"Yes, sir." he saluted. "For the Hierarchy."

Both other turians saluted back. "For the Hierarchy."

Desolas Arterius quickly left the room and made the long trek to the dreadnought's transport bay, where a shuttle waited for him. On the way, he considered this new, and unfortunate, twist.

Of course, he had lied to Pavlus. He _did_ had a problem with High Commander Vakarian. However, it was not her audacity, which he valued; or her independent thinking, which he respected; or even her support of diplomacy and cooperation, which he could tolerate. No, Desolas' problem with Mavis Vakarian was a simple one.

She was sharp. Very, very sharp.

And what was worse. She already had some reason to suspect him.

Two years ago, Vakarian had served as his ship's Second Officer. As an extremely bright leader with enormous potential, Desolas felt compelled to try and bring her to the cause. He was cautious and subtle, like always, but it was soon made clear she did not agree with his vision. So he stopped.

But afterwards, he could feel that her attitude towards him had shifted slightly. She was just a little more observant, a little more inquisitive. Nothing alarming, but as a man who lived in a web of deception himself, he could see it. So he made some arrangements, some recommendations. One month later, she was granted command of her own ship on a tour just as prestigious, but far away from his activities. No reason to waste such potential, after all.

And now fate decided they would have to work in close proximity once again. And something told the general his actions on this campaign would be under special scrutiny from the high commander of the 53rd Patrol Group.

Desolas pondered his possible course of action for the entire trip to his own cruiser, the _Penitent Justice_. Perhaps it would be better to get the Monolith directly to Palaven. He could easily make up some excuse to send a single corvette to the homeworld. His people could keep it secured until his arrival. He could ask Saren...

No!

He should do this. He _deserved_ this. Was it not him, Desolas Arterius, who spent more than half of his life on this quest? Was it not him who researched for countless hours to glimpse only a fraction of the truth? Was it not him who chased a thousand shadows, on a thousand forgotten worlds?

And now, he finally had proof! He finally acquired the instrument of his people's ascendance! He would not allow anyone else this honor. He alone would arrive on Palaven, to begin the path of turian supremacy over the galaxy.

He left the shuttle and stalked purposely to the ship's CIC. So resolute was his stance, so fierce his eyes, that every soldier gave him a wide berth. Upon arriving he found the room already in a flurry of activity. No doubt, his Second Officer had received Command's orders and was already mobilizing the Fleet in preparation for his arrival. Desolas gave the man an approving nod, before turning to another officer.

"Lieutenant Abrudas, come with me." the woman was startled by the sudden order, and the expression in her general's face. But she followed without question. It was a short walk to his office, and upon arriving he immediately closed and locked the door. The room was sparse: a work table with chairs, a computer station, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a locked armory, and a bed. No decorations. No trinkets. No frivolous electronic equipment. Desolas was a man of higher purpose, and had no time for petty creature comforts.

He went to the station and pressed some quick commands. Soon, the customized security systems around the room made it completely isolated from outside interference. Only then did he turn to Abrudas, who was waiting impassively for any order. She was one of the faithful, a believer in their cause. Not the brightest of soldiers, admittedly, but loyal and willing to do whatever it took.

"Lieutenant, you are being reassigned. I want you to gather some of those we can trust and move the Arca Monolith and its guardian to the _Serarth_. Take every precaution for transport. You will stay in the ship and watch over the artefact at all times. _Do not_ let anyone interact with it, you know what the consequences are. Is that clear?"

"Yes, General." no hesitation, no questions. Good.

"You know what our orders are?" at her affirmative, he continued. "The _Serarth_ will stay outside the battle at all times. We will assign it to scout duties. But no matter what happens, you and your men will defend the Monolith with your lives."

"Of course, General."

"Good. Another thing, Lieutenant. Go over the _Serarth_ personnel logs. I want you to be capable of recognizing every single member of that ship's crew on sight. If at _any _time you see a soldier who is not on that list, he or she is to be detained immediately and I am to be informed. If at _any_ time a member of the crew displays unusual interest in you or your mission, the same thing applies. I will call the ship's commander to give the instructions. He is a believer, he won't complain."

"Yes, sir."

"You have your orders. See to them." he deactivated the lockdown.

She gave a smart salute and strode out.

Desolas watched her go. He sat at his chair and contemplated his bare walls. His mind was far into the future. To a glorious time where his race would bring order to the chaos, as they were born to. And no eternity-loving asari or quick-talking salarian would stand in their way.

And certainly not these new upstarts.

He had waited for almost three decades. He could wait a few more months. He would conquer these aliens. And then, he would fulfill his destiny.

* * *

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Author Notes:

Hey, first ever ANs here!

First of all, let me give my most sincere gratitude for all those who took their time to read and review the first chapter (and the prologue, too). Though I know my writing needs much improvement, I could not help but be pleased by the positive response.

Secondly, my apologies for all those that waited so long for a response to their reviews. My initial intention was to post responses for the reviews here, so everyone could see them but I thought better of it. I don't want to bloat the ANs too much. So this space will be reserved for important notices and responses to constructive criticisms (not flames) and questions I see are something many people want to know.

Which leaves us with our first ones.

*User Blueowl (love her works, fully recommended), rightfully pointed out the need to get a beta. I am working on that. Besides English being a secondary language for me, I have very clumsy fingers. If anyone thinks there are too many typos and misspellings in the chapters, you never saw the original drafts.

*A very reasonable point was raised by a guest reviewer: this gentleman/lady noticed the apparent discrepancy in the Prologue, of Hogwarts Castle being a collapsed ruin while the buildings of Hogsmead were mostly intact. It's a good observation, and all I will say is that it was done on purpose.

That's it, folks! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next week (hopefully).

*Update: 2015/02/15 - Removed some typos, misspelings and adjusted a few phrases, in the hope they flowed better (when that Beta arrives, he/she will have some work). Also, add a single line explaining how the turian legionnaires could walk on the moon in microgravity. Don't know how I left that out, as it had always been the idea. In short, they used Mass Effect fields. Handy things, aren't they?


	4. Chapter 3: The Face of Our Enemy

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is written merely for my own pleasure and no monetary profit is intended.

*Update 2015/03/12 - Check ANs for details.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**.**

**The Face of Our Enemy**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Watch where you're going, girl!"

"Oh, sorry about that." Lucretia waited until the man went on his way, grumbling about her all the time, before adding in a low voice. "Asshole."

She sighed, picked up the food packages she had dropped after bumping into the man, and resumed her walk, trying to pay a little more attention now. She supposed she had to cut the guy some slack. Everyone was very much on edge at the moment.

All around her, groups of people huddled together around their assigned tents, talking quietly. Hundreds of the fabric shelters where distributed as neatly as possible throughout an extensive cave system some 35 kilometers off Central, very near to Inner Settlement 06. From what she understood, they were in a particularly uniform series of nine extensive chambers, all roughly at the same depth. The dry, dark red walls where a somewhat depressing sight, even with adequate illumination provided by many emergency lights, and the relatively low ceiling was sure to cause some claustrophobia on those more sensitive to it. Still, it could be worse. The air was fresh and cool, being recycled by the makeshift ventilation shafts. The tents were mostly of military grade, they had comfortable bedrolls, blankets, field chairs and tables. Scattered around were larger shelters functioning as supply depots, sanitary facilities, and medical units.

She knew other arrangements had been made in similar locations around Central.

Since the founding of the colony, almost three years ago, both the Alliance Navy and Colonial Authority realized the great sheltering potential of the Shanxi's many underground expanses. While the construction of the settlements received most of the attention, the authorities never stopped investing in clearing and equipping the larger and more stable caves in case of a major, planet-wide emergency. That foresight was now paying off. Shanxi may not have been pretty like Demeter or Terra Nova, but certainly looked much better able to withstand a siege.

"Mommy, why can't I go out to play?"

"I told you, honey, we have to stay here while daddy is fixing our house, remember? When we go back, you will see how nice it will be. If you behave, mommy and daddy will take you to see the spaceships in the city again, ok?"

"Promise?"

"Of course, dear."

"I'm telling you, guys, this is a mistake. We should be out there waiting for them, show them we are sorry for that ship. How can we show what good we have to offer if we hide in a hole and let only Marines up there to greet them?"

"Stop being so naive, Charlie. They came to us, and they shoot us. For my part, I'm glad there are some brave people with big guns up there."

"You are both idiots! Can't you see this all some kind of ploy? The protheans are dead. Gone. It's obvious the Alliance is trying to force its independence from Earth by making up some ridiculous threat."

"I always said the damn freaks where out there, waiting to get us! Didn't I say this day would come?! I did! Those blasted hippies can take their 'love and peace' and shove it!"

"Please, grandpa, get back inside! And put that thing down, you will hurt yourself!"

In front of a nearby tent, an extremely old man stood brandishing a metal cane as if it were a sword, while a much younger woman looked on with a distressed face and wringed her hands.

"Hoh, I was fighting the hidden fight long before your mother was born, lass. And when those aberrations come, I will show them just how good I was. Let's see how their psychic powers work with ten inches of good old Earth steel through their third eye!" as he gestured sharply, the cane flew from his hands and landed in the tent next to them. A muffled scream came from inside.

"GRANDPA!"

Lucretia shook her head and suppressed a laugh at the old man's antics. Colonial Authority, with the help of the Marines, had gathered the citizens in the settlements and told them that a dust storm of unprecedented magnitude could form in the next few days and engulf the entire Aloquian Plateau. After tranquilizing the colonists by revealing the already prepared shelters, people were instructed to go back to their houses and pack all the essential items they would need for a few days, along with every scrap of food they could find.

Only when most of the civilian population of Shanxi had been relocated to the caves did Governor Michael O'Neil announced the true reasons for the evacuation in a special broadcast. Authority certainly realized the secret would leak sooner rather than later, so best that it came from their own mouths. There had been screaming, panic, and denial, of course, but it was quickly brought under control by the firm presence of the Marines, the obvious effort being put into their defense, and the short footage showing the Alliance frigates blowing up the alien's ship with concentrated, unrelenting mass accelerator fire.

_"Of course, I bet the Alliance only showed the good parts of the battle in that video."_ thought the girl. She was not dumb; she knew that the worst thing for the military and colony officials right now would be to have to control a rioting population, on top of fighting an unknown enemy. If a little bending of the truth kept the people of Shanxi from turning against each other, she was all for it.

All the sudden measures and procedures, all the secrecy and high-handedness, still had an impact. Leaving their homes and possessions behind, having to ration food and water, being watched by hard-faced soldiers, suddenly having a curfew; all these things were more than a little jarring for people accustomed to a routinely life. Folk were wary and jumpy. More than a few were mistrustful of the officials and each other. But the main undercurrent in the colonist's mood was one of hope. Hope that the fleets would arrive in time to protect them from the aliens.

Aliens! Despite everything, it was still hard to believe sometimes.

"Let me leave!"

The raised voice snapped Lucretia back to reality. She realized, sheepishly, that she was once more not paying any attention to her surroundings, lost in thought.

In front of one of the tunnels that led to the higher chambers, currently off-limits to civilians, was a very angry-looking man trying his best to stare down a female soldier. The soldier appeared unimpressed.

"Go back into your tent, sir."

"So you are keeping us prisoners here, now? I demand to be allowed back into my home!"

"Citizen, you have been brought here for your own protection."

"Protection from what? There is no one out there yet, if they even are coming! Surely you can allow one man to visit his rightful property!"

The woman seemed to be getting just as angry. It was probably not the first time she had to deal with a dissatisfied colonist that day.

"No one can leave, _sir_. No exceptions. We don't know when the enemy will arrive and we cannot waste time looking for lost people when they do."

"I'm not asking you lumbering fools to look for me!" he pointed and accusing finger. "I'm asking for my right to _not _be held prisoner by my own government. What's next, you will tell us to pick up shovels and start digging?"

The Marine took a threatening step forward. "Now, listen here citizen…"

"What's going on here?"

The new voice was male, and familiar. Another soldier came out from the tunnel and walked up to the pair. She could see the stock of what she recognized as a designated marksman rifle coming over his right shoulder.

"Wesker, go back to the barracks and take a break. I will deal with this."

She sent a venomous look to the civilian. "He is all yours, Hughes." then she left.

"Now," the soldier begun, in much calmer voice than his fellow, "what is the problem, sir?"

The man crossed his arms and gave a withering look. "Like I was saying to your _friend_, I need to go to my home and collect some things."

"Sir, you were given time to pick up any essential possessions."

"You people didn't tell us we could be here for _weeks_! I need some other stuff!"

The Marine put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Sir, I understand your anger, but trying to shout your way out won't help you. Even if we could allow you to leave, there isn't a single transport that could take you to your settlement. Please, we have many provisions here, what is it that you need? Maybe something can be arranged."

The man look mutinous for long seconds. But the calm and understanding look on the soldiers face seemed to knock the fight out of him. With a sigh, he lowered his arms and shook his head.

"Look, it's just… it's my daughter. She is only two and she is very scared of being here. She won't stop crying. There's this old stuffed cat she had since she was born that always calms her down. In all the hurry to pack up, we forgot it." he looked only lost now, anger replaced by concern.

The soldier made a face and put his hand to his neck, thinking. "What is your settlement, sir?"

"Inner 04."

"All right, look. We still have teams going out and around the nearby settlements. I will explain your situation to my sergeant. Give me your address, and if a squad pass through 04, we will tell them to visit your house."

"You will?" he looked very surprised.

"I can't make any promises, sir. It is very possible that they won't be able to. But I will do my best."

"I guess it's more than anyone else will be willing to do. Very well, soldier." He told him the location of his habitation unit and the sector of his tent.

The Marine took it down, then gave the man a firm look. "Now please, sir, try not to give the soldiers any grief. We are here to keep you safe, but we need your help to do that."

"I know. I will try. And thank you, soldier."

"You are welcome, sir."

With that, the man walked away, a defeated cast to his shoulders.

The Marine gave an exhausted sigh and made to move on, but Lucretia called to him.

"Elliot!"

He stopped and turned around. On seeing her, a smile came to his lips. The look on his brown eyes was one of relief.

"Hey there!" she came closer and gave him a tight, one armed hug. He returned it, careful not to hurt her with hard ceramic plates. "I was worried when I didn't see you in Green 14 during the evacuation."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was busting my back setting up all the stuff in here. Actually, I was going to the third chamber right now to get some cases of medigel for our medics. Where is your tent?"

She pointed to another nearby tunnel to the next chamber, the same one he would have to take. Ignoring her protests, he took half of the packages she was carrying and just waited until she sighed and relented. Then they both started to walk there, now keeping a respectful distance for proprieties' sake. The man was on duty, after all.

She had been seeing Elliot Hughes for almost three months now. He was only slightly older than her, having recently turned nineteen, and was fresh from Advanced Training as a rifleman. He graduated with enough merit and distinction to enter service straight as a Private First Class. He was also _very_ proud of achieving a qualification as a marksman.

"Rough day?" she asked, referring to the earlier incident.

"You wouldn't believe." He passed a tired hand in front of his face. "That guy back there? He was one of the good ones. We have been dealing with scared and angry people all day. And it's not just the civilians, tempers are high on all sides." he exhaled tiredly. "Honestly, we soldiers are lucky. We usually just step in when things seem like they are about to get violent. The colony officials are the ones taking the brunt of it."

He shook his head and looked at her. "So, you guys have settled in alright?"

She nodded. "As well as can be expected. Samesh is still a little lost, poor guy. He is big enough to understand that something very dangerous may happen, but he doesn't really get the full scope of the situation. I think he is mostly torn between being afraid and being excited about meeting an E.T."

The soldier gave a slight smile. "Ah, I think that might actually be a very normal reaction for a boy his age."

"Yeah."

"And your mother?"

"Mom has been a surprise, really. She is usually so protective of us, Samesh in particular. I thought she would be more panicked. Not that she doesn't worry, you see, she doesn't like it when either of us is out of her sight for too long. But all things considered, she has been pretty cool." she did not voice her suspicions about the conversation Harry had with her mother before they heard about the aliens. She was almost certain the Voyager had found out about the situation somehow and had reassured the woman about it. It was the only explanation she could think of for her behavior.

And to think the man had the audacity to say he _did not_ have any 'super-secret Voyager contacts'.

Then he gave her a serious but caring look. "And what about you?"

The girl took a moment to think about her answer. "I would be lying if I said I'm not a little afraid. I mean, we don't know scrap about these creatures. For all we know, they can lift cars and shoot lasers from their eyes." then her grip on the packages she was carrying became much stronger. "But mostly, I am angry. Angry that they would attack one of our ships and kill all those people without reason. Angry that they may come to Shanxi when we have done absolutely nothing against them. And _very_ angry that they may end up threatening my family and my friends." she took a deep breath. "Frankly, I am envious of you. I wish I were old enough to have passed boot camp already, then maybe I could've been fighting with you guys."

That had been the compromise she reached with her mother. Avani was not opposed to her daughter entering military service, but insisted that she finish her secondary education in the civilian system first.

The Marine shook his head fondly. "Well, forgive me for saying this, but for my part, I'm relieved you are _not_ old enough to be in the Navy yet. I will definitely fight easier knowing you are safe down here, Lu."

She knew he did not mean that as a slight against her abilities or her courage, so she let it slide. The other part of his statement she could not let pass, however. "Drop the 'Lu', Elliot."

He grinned, obviously already expecting that response. "Yes, yes, how could I forget? Sorry, _Lucretia_."

She did not take his bait, and just gave a mock-haughty nod. She knew some people found her name a bit of a mouthful, and that the urge to shorten it was great. But she liked her name, and did not let almost anyone mangle it.

Strangely enough, she did not had any problem with Harry calling her 'Letia', and he had been doing that practically from the moment they first met. In the beginning, she thought that it was due to her initial crush on the man, but quickly dismissed the feeling. She had boyfriends before, and she was definitely attracted to Elliot, but she had not let any of _them_ give her nicknames. In the end, she realized that Harry always had felt a little like family, the cool and quirky uncle, and 'Letia' had been the same name her grandfather used for her in her childhood.

When she thought about it, Harry reminded her very much of her grandfather. It must be part of why she liked him so much.

She shot a sly look to the young soldier at her side that went unnoticed. She still remembered that day, about a month ago. They had gone out a few times, so she had brought him for lunch in her house, to introduce him to her mother. They had just finished eating and the man had apparently passed the 'mother test', when their neighbor came by. He took one look at Elliot and immediately took him away so they could 'have a pint and a talk'. The private never told her what that conversation entailed, despite her constant nagging, but whenever he talked about Harry from that day on, it was always with the kind of respect one would expect to be reserved for an admired high-ranked officer.

The next day, the Voyager told them that Elliot 'was a good chap'. And that was that.

He kept talking. "What about Mr. Evans, is he together with you?"

She took a few seconds to respond. Harry had actually stayed with them all the way from when Sergeant Dale came to their house, until they had settled in their tent. After that, he announced he had to take care of some business outside the cave and had gone away, but not before promising to be back in time for curfew and asking them not to tell anyone where he had gone to. She had no idea how he was going to pass through the heavily guarded entrance to the shelter, but knew better than to doubt that he could. "He is sharing the tent with us, yes. Along with the Baumanns and the Flints. But he had to go do some stuff in another chamber and shouldn't be back for some hours, according to him." there, it was not technically a lie.

The Marine was slightly confused. "Really? Well, I suppose there are many people he must know around here, he must be catching up with them. It's just that some of the guys are trying to map out a side tunnel and I thought he could help, seeing as that is right up his alley. Wonder where exactly he is?"

"Dunno. Giving the size of this place, I guess we can only wait until he shows up again."

_"And 'where exactly he is' is a damn good question."_ she added in her mind.

* * *

"And now there is dirt on my floor!"

"I know, I'm sorry."

"And he got his greasy fingerprints all over my console!"

"I know, girl, that's awful and I'm sorry."

"And he had the _nerve_ to put his filthy feet up on my dashboard!"

"Astrid, _I_ place my feet on your dashboard all the time."

She ignored him. "And he smelled! I am sure he didn't bathe in over a week!"

"Now that's just absurd. You don't even have a sense of smell. I could stop bathing for a year and you would not be able to notice."

"Ha! That's where you are wrong, Mr. Smarty-pants. I always know when you take your showers."

Harry paused. He _really_ wanted to comment on that piece of information, but thought better of it, and just kept working.

As he waved his wand in slow circles around the entrance to one of the civilian shelters, he was very thankful this particular set of wards was so second-nature to him that they required only patience and not much concentration. Because he was doubtful he could manage one of the more unfamiliar schemes with his ship's relentless exposition of all that was making her angry right then.

"And all these sad flying bricks around here are making me depressed. Honestly, why they all have to be this boring shade of blue? Couldn't they throw some warmer stuff in there? What's the problem with red?"

_"All right, the masking and aversion layers are done. Now to start on the Shield Ward."_ before that, he answered. "Girl, most of those are military vehicles, they have to follow a pattern. And many people love the color blue."

"Yeah? Well, some people have taste."

Harry let out a small sigh, and started casting. This was one of those times where he really could not reprimand his ship too much. Being locked up in a concealed hangar inside of a cave with the other small land and aircrafts on Shanxi, and knowing that this could last for weeks, would not be his preferred method of spending time either. Still, he knew that this was mostly Astrid's indignation about being 'manhandled by some glorified apes with the flying skills of a groundhog'. She had other means to amuse herself while being grounded. She would eventually calm down and stop complaining so much.

He just hoped that happened before she drove him bonkers.

He sent a look to the Marine squad down below, who were keeping watch behind natural rock formations that did a good job of concealing the cave's mouth, both from the ground and from the sky. They were armed to the teeth, there were heavy machine gun and mortar nests resting at both sides of the entrance, and he knew there was a sniper team in there ready to take position around the slopes of the low hills where the shelter's entrance was located. There was also an entire wing of small but deadly combat drones stationed inside the cave. The soldiers were currently relaxed, but ready for action. Between their eyes and the monitoring equipment, nothing should be able come within a kilometer of the shelter without their knowing.

And yet here he was, standing on the slope above them and casting magic all around, with them none the wiser. A combination of some very powerful masking spells, and a mild Redirection Charm, made sure that he went about his job undetected. It was unfair, really, how easy it was to hide from non-magicals. Any wizard or witch with a minimal skill at Sensing would never be able to miss the charge of arcane energy all around them, if they were standing inside the ward line.

On the other hand, he was sure many spellcasters of his time would not have either the knowledge or presence of mind to account for all the electronic surveillance systems, like the motion and thermal sensor array not five meters from him, and would think that just fooling human eyes and ears would be enough.

Soon he had completed yet another 360º turn of the entrance, and watched as the faintly shimmering silver dome disappeared from sight. The Shield layer was complete. "Now, for the finish." he brought the holly wand close to his chest, and started a long chain of incantations, while concentrating his will. _"Unmask the aggressors who would assault this place. Strike against those who wish harm upon the innocent sheltered here. Let there be ruin in turn to those who bring ruin to this home. By Fire's wrath, by Lightning's fury, by Earth's rage." _as he chanted, he could feel his Magic shaping itself. Inside him was now a spear of power, strong and sharp and unbending. When he felt the power close to bursting, he jabbed his wand straight up.

"_Strenuissimum Custos Malleus!"_ a blood-red orb shot out from the focus, rising up in the air a short distance to suddenly explode outwards with a thunderclap that went mostly unheard. The crimson wave of energy descended to form yet another dome around the small hill. It stood there for a few seconds, before it, too, vanished. But Harry could feel the change in the surrounding magic, it was now heavy and unforgiving. It was judging him, making sure that he was not a threat. The wizard had deliberately not included an exemption for himself in the layer. The more exceptions one made to a ward, the easier it was to take it down.

"What the hell?!"

Despite all his concealment magic, that last light show had not gone completely unnoticed. The soldiers were suddenly on their feet, scanning the environment with suspicion, weapons draw. They had not actually seen or heard much, but such a powerful casting would disrupt the local energy field and overwhelm the masking spells a little. But the Redirection Charm...

"Did everyone see that?" asked one of them.

"Yeah, it was like a flash of lightning. Humm… the sky _is_ a little hazy." answered another. "Gary, anything?"

"Nothing, sarge. No unusual readings whatsoever. It was probably just a thunder flash, like you said, but I will run a full scan."

"You do that. All right boys, back to your places, but keep your eyes open."

"Aye, aye, sir!" answered the squad.

...would make sure they found an explanation that was reasonable to them. He stood still for a while as they calmed down, then picked up his large mokeskin pouch and took out a granite slab from it. It was about the size of a book and filled with inscribed runes. He put it inside the hole he had made before he began his casting. A few more incantations later, the runes flashed yellow, green, silver and then a blood-red, as the wards were properly anchored. That made sure they would last until broken down or overwhelmed. Well, they would also fade after about a fortnight, but there was nothing he could do about that except to recast them. True wardstones required a planet's Living Magic to be created, after all.

Closing the hole, that was now undistinguishable from the surrounding ground, he sat down for a few minutes to catch his breath. That last ward was very powerful, as had been the shield before it, and took quite a bit out of him. Considering he had cast that array six times in the last four hours, he was just a tad knackered. And before that, it was all those hours at the lab. Come to think of it, the last time he got any considerable length of sleep was when he and Astrid went flying, more than two days ago.

He put a hand in his coat pocket and took out a small glass flask filled with a dark yellow liquid, which was bubbling slightly. Opening the little, hermetically sealed, metallic flap at the top (and remembering fondly about the time he used to put corks on the darned things), he downed the contents in a single gulp, easily suppressing the usual shudder at the horrible taste. Immediately, he felt his Magic regain a little strength.

"And that was the last shelter." he let out a relieved sigh.

"Good to know at least one of us is having fun." despite her words, Astrid's voice had lost much of its earlier scorn.

Wishing to stave off further grumblings and keep it that way, he asked. "Have you finished those mappings?"

She still had a few choice words for the pilots sent to relocate her, before replying. "Yeah. I have identified the ideal locations for every one of the resonance orbs. I also calculated the arithmantic overlay, but for this to work, you will have to calibrate every single orb individually."

He nodded, unseen. He already expected that. "Got it. I will do that after setting up the traps." he considered his plans for a moment. "Actually, forget that, I will leave them for last. I really need a break from all this ward casting. Let's take care of the orbs first. Are you absolutely sure you can keep their systems operational?"

The exasperation in her voice could not be more obvious. "Who do you think you're talking to? I've got my pretty claws all over their network. Just make sure you leave those openings for me, and I will see that the jarheads don't freak out about losing their sensors."

He shook his head. "Astrid, I'm serious. It isn't just about the magic. Do you think you can defend the Alliance's battle network from invaders? I mean, invaders other than yourself, of course."

"Very funny, just remember who gave me permission to do this."

"As if that ever stopped you before." he muttered.

She ignored him again. "I won't know what I'm dealing with until the E.T.s arrive and actually try to hack into the network, will I? But you can be damn sure no simple virus or cyberwarfare program will get through me. I won't be able to do much of anything against external ECM though."

"I know. Alliance tech will just have to hold its own on that arena."

"Yeah, and let's hope our visitors don't have anyone like Eliza at their disposal."

Harry felt a shiver go through him at the name, familiar dark memories surging to his mind. Even so, he tried to keep his voice neutral. "Yes, let's very much hope so."

Astrid was silent for a moment, and when she spoke there was a grudgingly apologetic note in her voice. "Ok, sorry. I babbled out without thinking."

"It's all right, girl. Let's just… not talk about that now, please?"

She went quiet. Probably to avoid saying anything else about the only truly sore subject between them. Harry took the chance to gaze at the countryside. The red plains went as far as the eye could see, cut here and there by the occasional small river. To the west, almost beyond the horizon, he could see the beginning of one of Shanxi's mires.

He gazed at the cloudy sky. Somewhere for above them, almost six hundred men and women waited for an unknown number of very likely hostile ships to arrive. The wizard wished there was something substantial he could do for them, he really did, but his powers would be of no help in a space battle.

He decided they had both sulked for long enough. "Well, I hope to finish with the defenses before curfew. I promised Ms. Bhatia I would spend the night with them, and it is better not to raise _too_ much suspicion back at the shelter. For now, anyway."

And luckily, she agreed. "Speaking about suspicions, you do realize some of things you're doing are not exactly low-key, don't you? I will do my best to fool their sensors and tweak any questionable recordings, but if half of the wards you are setting up actually goes off, there are going to be some _very_ inexplicable stuff going on around here. Look at that Retaliation Ward. I don't think many people are going to believe some god suddenly decided to smite the enemies of mankind. And let's not even start with the Orbs, you know what it will mean."

He picked up a small stone next to him and started to randomly transfigure it into different things: a bright yellow marble, then a toy soldier, then a white mouse. "I know this is a cat that may never go back into its bag, but I can't let all these people get hurt if I can help it, Astrid. If that means leaving the Alliance with a lot of unanswered questions, so be it."

"Hey, I get you. But remember you are just one guy, you can't _obliviate _everyone on the planet, okay?" suddenly, she was all brightness. "And, who knows? If they come casting fireballs and turning Marines into some kind of six-legged alien sheep, _your_ spellwork might just pass unnoticed."

He snorted and turned the little rodent squeaking up on his shoulder back into a rock. "Right, because that would be so much better." he got up and stretched. His Magic was back to proper state, but he would definitely need a good nap after he was done for the day. He once again picked up his enlarged pouch. This time, he took out an iron orb as large as his hand, encircled by three polished stone rings. He turned it in his hand, looking at the extraordinarily fine runework on the bands. The wizard doubted very much he could replicate them. "Can you give me the first location?"

"Yeah, the back of a depot in Central's spaceport, no one is in the area right now. Here you go."

The image of a deserted patio surrounded by tall walls appeared on his visor. He studied the shot for a moment then nodded to himself.

"Thank you, girl. Let's get this done." he walked down a little and canceled most of the masking charms around the soldiers and their equipment. The rest would fade on their own soon enough. Then he gave one last cursory inspection to his wards and, satisfied, Disapparated with a faint crack.

* * *

General Joseph Williams watched as his people scurried around their new, improvised Headquarters in the kind of organized chaos that could only be seen in a military garrison gearing up for battle. Despite their situation, he could not suppress a feeling of pride at his Marines. Setting up the temporary facilities inside the cave and transferring most of their equipment from the main base at Central in a little more than two days was a feat all by itself. That it had been done while still giving logistical and personnel support to the civilian evacuation was worthy of high praise. If he could, he would give them all a medal just for that.

Commendations would have to wait, though. He turned from the windows and once again directed his attention to the many monitoring screens all around the Command Center. Half of them showed data, while the other half exhibited live footage from the colony. A large, hastily installed holographic table dominated the room. Connecting to the many sensor stations they had scattered all around, it displayed an accurate three-dimensional map of Central and the surrounding region. Zooming about were the various blue dots representing their vehicles and squads.

Arranged in a circle around the table, fourteen specialists and operators sat at their stations, tapping away at their keyboards and maintaining a constant stream of conversation with each other and the elements on the field.

"General."

Williams took his eyes from the screen currently displaying images of a team installing a gun emplacement on the upper floors of one of the taller cluster of prefab units in the city, to look at his aide-de-camp.

"Yes, Brody?"

The younger man took a moment to scan his datapad before giving his report. "Sir, O'Neil's people informs us that all the easily located civilian population has been evacuated as of half an hour ago. As ordered, we have two companies standing guard over the shelters. For the most part, colony officials have everything under control. We had to step in a handful of times to separate a more rowdy group, but we don't foresee any problems for the short term. Of course, the longer the isolation and martial rules stand, the harder will be to keep them calm."

The general nodded, that was only expected. Procedures like the rationing of food and water, along with the curfew, were as much precautionary measures as they were a kind of psychological induction. They got people used to a time were there could be precious little of both supplies and safety.

The aide continued. "There is still up to three hundred registered civilians who are unaccounted for. Those are the ones who decided to live as hermits in remote areas, or those we simply could not find in the Settlements and did not respond to the calls. It's likely the latter have found bolt-holes and are staying there. In either case, there is little we can do to help them in such a short time-frame."

"Unfortunate, but not surprising." commented Williams. He gestured to the holo table and they both moved to look over it. "We will just have to pray those people can look after themselves. Now, tell me about my Marines."

"Preparations of the defensive positions all around the city and the countryside are well underway. Secondary lines of communication have been secured. We have found some other hidden areas our people can retreat to if needed. We are starting to strain our arms reserves, but every squad should have full gear. Small arms munitions we have plenty, but heavy weapons will have to be used very carefully. The personnel guarding the old city base report all guns fully operational."

The general closed the map on the main Alliance garrison on Central. It was big, fortified and had their only fixed artillery and anti-air batteries. They could not shoot anything at orbit, but if the enemy tried to invade, the complex would be the most obvious target. They would try to defend it for as long as they could, if only to buy some time.

The aide continued. "The field officers are reporting uncertainty in the ranks, sir, as our boys and girls still don't know what exactly they are going to do."

Williams acknowledged that with a grunt. While the defensive flotilla in orbit above Shanxi already had a taste of the enemy's capabilities and knew what they would do, which was to try and cause as much damage to any attacking fleet as possible, the human ground forces were caught in a quandary. While they were working with the assumption of the full-scale extermination of all human presence on the planet, the very worst case scenario, the truth was that nobody knew anything about the enemy's objectives and how exactly they would go about fulfilling them.

Would they station their ships in orbit and bombard any visible facilities with kinetic impactors, or try and deploy ground elements, or both? Would they restrict themselves to military targets or attack anything indiscriminately? Would they march across the surface like medieval armies of old or employ small unit guerrilla tactics? Would they employ tanks, close air support, artillery, drones, or giant walkers? Would they resort to nuclear, chemical or even biological weapons? What kind of electronic countermeasures could they use? What about cyberwarfare? There were a hundred factors to consider and the Marine's strategy could change drastically based on any single one of them.

General Williams clutched the edge of the table so hard, his hand hurt. Aside from the fact they would have to wait for the enemy's first moves to decide on any kind of response, he was very much aware that anything they did here would be nothing but a delaying tactic. Ground elements could never defend a planet without naval support. If the 7th was defeated, or forced to leave, the only hope for the people of Shanxi was the timely arrival of the Fleets. He refused to share his true feelings on _that_ matter with his troops, last they lose their courage.

"What about D'Amico's people?" he asked.

"They have integrated with our forces well, General. There are all the usual servicemen-privates jokes and jabs, but it is all in good spirit. Their shuttles and support personnel have been especially helpful in setting up our defenses."

Like most other Marine detachments on the frontier worlds, the Shanxi Garrison was relatively small, having around five hundred battle-ready soldiers, and over half that number as support staff. To bolster these forces, the 7th Flotilla and the Shanxi defensive group had transferred every man and woman they could spare, raising the number of infantry soldiers to just over seven hundreds, of which about a third would remain in the hidden shelters to protect the civilians. Another third would be distributed around the improvised strongholds and the original base, and the rest would remain in reserve at the cave housing the new HQ.

They had two dozen lightly armored and armed service vehicles, and just five heavy-duty APCs. Those would remain at HQ until it was decided how to best utilize them.

"So, things up there are still the same?" he asked.

"The last update from the Rear Admiral said they have finished clearing the civilian ships from the system. We managed to put almost eight hundred colonists inside them, mostly the young and the elderly of Central. They were instructed very firmly to follow random paths towards Shanxi-Alpha and avoid the Silk Road. It is really tough luck that we are in the down season."

Shanxi-Alpha was the Mass Relay that connected the cluster to main Alliance space, and its system was located almost nine light-years from Shanxi. The straight path connecting both systems was dubbed the 'Silk Road' by the locals. Civilian vessels were generally much slower than warships and could take days to travel that distance, so the ships that came to Shanxi carrying supplies, construction materials and new colonists preferred to come 'in bulk'. Once a month, a small fleet of freighters, passenger ships and other civilian vessels would cross the Silk Road and spend almost a week transferring their cargo and making business. They would then go back together. Unfortunately, the last 'merchant fleet' had left just the week before. If they had been on site, almost half of the population could have been crammed up inside them and be safely taken off system.

"The Flotilla is just waiting now. And I think Mercier might just be hoping for D'Amico's Plan B to be needed." concluded Brody.

"They are both completely crazy, that's what they are." Williams scratched at the long scar running from the right side of his face. He was not sure how he felt about the Admiral's backup plan. Still, the man had balls, he would give him that.

"Desperate situations and all that, sir." it was clear the younger man agreed with him.

"I know. Thank you for the update, Brody. Could you…"

"Huh, General Williams, sir?"

They both turned to the source of interruption, a specialist sitting at what he remembered was one of the sensors monitoring stations. She kept turning from looking at her monitor to one of the screens on the wall and back, a confused look on her face, as she tapped commands on her console so fast the general felt his fingers cramp just by watching it. He sent a quick look at her nametag.

"What is it, Chief Warrant Lasky?"

"Sir, I just lost all contact with the sensors at Central for a second? It was probably a minor glitch, we _did_ just put all this equipment together in the last few hours, and everything is green now. But still, I recommend having some people go over the relay stations again, just to be sure."

"Agreed. Can you see to it?"

"I can, sir."

"Then do it, I give you permission to request a team."

"Aye, aye, sir."

When she still shot suspicious looks at the screen on the corner, he decided to ask. "Miss Lasky, anything wrong with those gates?"

The screen in question showed images from the security cameras at the old base. It was currently centered on one of the fortified entrances to the main complex.

She was startled for just a moment, but was quick to respond. "No, sir. It's nothing."

There was still uncertainty in her voice, though. Williams gave a frown and allowed a sterner tone to coat his words. "If you think something is amiss, Chief, say it now. When the aliens start shooting at our doors, it will be too late."

Some of the surrounding specialists and officers where discreetly keeping an ear on the conversation now, others not so subtly. The warrant officer seemed well aware of that. Still, she straightened and answered her superior. "Sir, right before our systems had their momentary disconnection, I was looking at the feed of the base. I know this will sound ridiculous, General, but I can swear I saw the gates… flash."

Williams frown got even harsher. "Flash?"

"As in lit up in a bright orange light, General. It was very fast, but I _know_ it was there. And it was not the whole image, sir, just the gates. The thing is, I have checked the recording and there was nothing unusual." a snicker could be heard from the back of the room, and a little bit of red appeared on the woman's cheeks. She kept her face serious, however, eyes open and sincere.

Joseph Williams was short and stocky. He was known and respected as a tough man and a strict, but fair, leader. He would be the first to admit he could use a little more patience and a better temper, something his wife often made a point to remind him of. All that had earned him the unofficial nickname of 'the Bulldog' among the Marines.

That was made evident when he turned a furious look to the rest of the room and almost barked. "Did I tell anyone to stop working?! Get back to your duties!"

Everyone hastily went back to whatever they were doing before and did their best to avoid looking at the pair. The general shook his head with a derisive snort. Was he really thinking about giving this bunch of gossip wives a medal earlier?

"Humpf. Now, Ms. Lasky, I am not saying anything, but you are absolutely sure of what you saw, correct?"

"Yes, General."

"And after that, the sensors at Central HQ had their little jump?"

"Almost simultaneously, sir."

"Very well. I want you to run a full check on the network and go see about those relays, I will take care of this."

"Aye, aye, sir." she said once more.

He strode to one of the other warrant officers in the room. "Comms!"

The man shot up from his chair and gave a picturebook salute, barely disguising his nervousness. He had been one of the people giving Chief Lasky a condescending look.

"Sir!"

"Contact the base. I want a patrol to conduct a general search of the premises. Tell them to send a team to do examine the northern doors of the main building. Tell them to be careful and treat it as if it was a possible target of dynamic entry. Also, check out the cameras and other sensors. Just tell them we had some strange readings and want to make sure everything is in order."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

With a last severe nod, he went back to Lieutenant Brody, who had remained silent and impassive during the whole thing.

"Do you believe this story, sir?" he asked in a low voice, making sure no one could hear him, especially the warrant officer.

Williams just grunted. "Frankly, Jason, we are waiting for a bunch of aliens to come and blown us all to hell. I, for one, am not going to leave a single damn thing to chance."

The aide just nodded, and continued in a normal tone. "Would you like to go over our supply lists and how long we expect them to last, sir?"

"Please, Lieutenant."

The next half an hour was spent reviewing their inventory of food, medicaments and other supplies. It was not an encouraging report. Civilians and soldiers considered, they had enough food for three weeks, at most. After that, they would have to scavenge the city for more.

A few hours later, Comms informed him that the Marines had found nothing wrong with the doors except for a small and persistent static charge, which was very puzzling but not dangerous. The cameras and sensors were fine, too. Chief Lasky also reported that her people checked the relays and that everything was green in the battle network. She apologized profusely, but the general simply waved her off.

Williams decided to consider both matters closed. Still, he found himself giving periodic glances to Central HQ video feeds for the rest of the day.

* * *

Almost 250.000 kilometers away from Shanxi, the 7th Expeditionary Flotilla stood in waiting for their enemies to arrive, as they had done for the past 61 hours. It was now almost four days since their frigate, the SSV _Aldenhoven,_ had been shot down by an alien force close to the dormant Shanxi-Theta Mass Relay.

Rear Admiral Carlos D'Amico let out a weary breath. The long waiting was both a blessing, and a curse. On one hand, it allowed them more time to prepare the colony. On the other hand, the long hours were starting to charge their toll. Marines and sailors of the Alliance Navy were tough. The genetic treatments that every member of the Navy underwent, their hard training, and a little help from chemical stimulants made them capable of supporting levels of stress and exhaustion that would have been unthinkable to human armies a hundred years earlier. But three days of almost uninterrupted vigil were beginning to shown in the faces of his people. Another day of this, and their performance would be compromised.

There was little they could do, though. The soldiers down on Shanxi could have the luxury long sleeps, even if at their posts. Up here, only a few winks were allowed, and the reason for that was a simple one: light-lag. That little aspect of astrophysics was both the boon and bane of every single commander of a military warship. It all depended if you were the one attacking, or the one being attacked. At any moment, an enemy fleet could jump out of FTL right on top of them and start shooting.

They simply could not afford the few minutes it would take to rouse many sleeping servicemen, not now that they had transferred everyone they could down to the colony, and kept only essential personnel.

Speaking of which…

"D'Amico to Commander Mercier."

"I hear you, Admiral."

"How are you and your people holding up, son?"

"As well as we can, Admiral. Don't worry, the Dragons are a 100% ready. Just don't ask us to get out of these chairs before this is done. I don't think we will be able to walk straight again for a good while."

The old officer let out a small laugh. Mercier could use a little more respect for authority, but he was damn good at what he did.

"Has Captain Drugov stopped complaining yet, sir?"

"He has, thank the heavens."

"The plan _is _a little sketchy, sir."

"I didn't hear you protesting at the briefing, Commander."

"Oh, I think it's brilliant, Admiral, if it works. That doesn't change the fact that it's also madness."

D'Amico looked at the stars outside the _Nairobi's_ windows. He could see four of their frigates holding position around the cruiser, one of those being the _Kings Mountain_. Captain Drugov and his people made an admirable job of repairing the wounded ship, and she was now back to 81% operational capacity. Anything better would require a dry dock.

Their other two frigates, along with the three belonging to Shanxi's permanent detachment were keeping positions outside of his visual range. At their starboard glowed the pale orange light of the innermost of Shanxi's two moons, Zhou, about half the size and distance from its host planet than Luna. Like Earth's satellite, the moon was tidally locked to Shanxi, the same side always turned to the planet's surface. Unlike Earth's satellite, Zhou had significant geological activity due to tidal heating between Shanxi and the more massive outer moon, Tang.

The Flotilla was in orbit around the moon, the position was a matter of necessity. Even if the chance of stray rounds or debris actually hitting one of the settlements was extremely low, no one wanted to risk a battle right over Shanxi. It was their first calculated gamble: that the aliens would not go straight for the planet, instead of confronting them. It would not be the last.

"Well, let us hope it is crazy enough to surprise our potential visitors."

"Indeed, sir. You know that Drugov is angrier about you staying on the _Nairobi_ than about the overall plan, don't you?"

"Regardless, I will not abandon my ship." he said firmly.

"Oh, you won't hear me disagree. I could see how stubborn you were the moment I saw you, Admiral. Jun, too, except she is much easier on the eyes. But no offense to you, sir, you've aged well."

"It seems General Williams is far too lenient with his subordinates. And does my Commander knows you talk about her like that?" he wanted to sound reproaching, but after all the stress of the last few days, Mercier's irreverent personality was like a breath of fresh air. There had been far too many grim faces in the Flotilla, including his own.

"Nah, Williams would be stuck with that frown forever if not for me."

"Maybe you are the _cause_ of the General's bad humor, Commander."

"You jest, Admiral. That couldn't possibly be true. As for Jun, she and I have an agreement. I promised to make her my famous _quenelles _whenever she wants, and she gives me permission to flirt with her as much as I want."

"I see. That sounds like a good trade-off."

"It is, the _quenelles_ are dirty easy to make! Jun thinks there is some kind of secret formula, but she is just a horrible cook." then the man's voice lost its flamboyant tone and became sober. "And Admiral, just in case we don't have the time later, let me say that it has been an honor to serve with you, sir."

"That makes it both of us, Giles. I'm just sorry I have to drag you and your people into this mess as well."

"This is our colony, sir. We won't let any extraterrestrial _salauds_ invade it. We can only hope that they don't bring their whole Navy."

When the Flotilla returned from Shanxi-Theta, D'Amico and the other senior officers immediately began a tense brainstorming session. Everyone believed they would soon be followed, the question was if it would be only by the fleet they had encountered, or if there would be even more ships. Everyone also knew the enemy had an advantage both on offense and defense. It was not that large of a difference, but enough to tilt the scales in any battle with comparable numbers. After hours of arguments, speeches, and not a few shouts, they had came up with two basic plans.

Plan A was to stand firm and fight ship for ship, until their last breath. They hoped good old human tenacity and clever maneuvering would win the day. This plan would be implemented if the aliens arrived with the same forces they had before.

If, however, significant reinforcements were present, to the point where a straight fight would be futile, they would have to go with Plan B.

Plan B was… complicated.

Suddenly, the lights in the bridge changed to an angry red. Alarms started to scream and every one of his people went from whispered conversations to frantic activity. Above all the noise was the voice of his Sensors Officer.

"Incoming ships! 150.000 klicks to our bow!"

150 thousand kilometers in front of the 7th Flotilla, dozens of electromagnetic bursts had broken the stillness of space. As each envelope of blue-shifted light dissipated, a different spaceship was revealed. Long and flat multilayered hulls were seemingly left unpainted but for two bright red patches on the wing-like extensions at the sides. The dull metallic color gave a strong contrast against the shiny white of the human vessels.

"Well, at least they are predictable. All hands to battle stations! Sensors, what do we have?!" shouted the admiral.

"Nothing good, sir. We have fourteen of the 127m frigate-weight ships, five 160m heavy frigates, and _four_ cruisers, all at 493m. Twenty-three hostiles, sir."

"Dear Lord." he heard one of the sailors speak in dismay.

Well, D'Amico could not disagree.

"Looks like Plan A just got scrapped." said Mercier.

"Indeed. Though now I actually hope that is their whole navy, Commander. Stand ready to move at my mark."

Mercier's voice was deadly serious now. "Aye, aye, sir." then he disconnected.

"All frigates, form in front of the _Nairobi_!"

"All ships confirm orders, sir!" informed Comms.

"Helm, close those windows."

"Aye, aye, sir!"

With the klaxon turned off, they could hear the faint whirring as heavy blast plates, three layers in total, closed one after the other around the cruiser's bridge windows. When the last set connected with a dull _bang_ that seemed to reverberate through the whole room, the large tactical screens at the front and to both sides were activated, showing the same view from before. The screens were mostly for the Commanding Officer's benefit. Helm, Sensors, Guns, and others that required external data had their own personal feeds sent directly to their stations, when they did not operate by instruments alone.

"Navigation, give me a tactical map. Designate the hostiles."

"Here it goes, Admiral."

A portion of the main screen was sectioned off, and started to display an 'overhead' digital map of the battle field. A large green circle represented Shanxi, a smaller one, its moon. Nine blue dots signalized their frigates, while a larger square was the _Nairobi_. At the other side of the map, nineteen yellow dots and triangles showed the enemy frigates, while the cruisers appeared as red squares.

"Sir, the hostiles have stopped at 90.000 klicks. They are holding position. Thermal readings confirm weapons primed on all ships."

"All frigates have arrived and are in position."

"What now, Carlos?" asked his Executive Officer.

"Now," he sat at his chair and laid his arms at the armrests, grey eyes narrowed in thought, "we wait for their move."

* * *

"General Arterius, as our preliminary scans showed, the enemy is still holding position above of the inner moon. We can now confirm they are the same seven ships the 53rd found before, plus the additional three frigates we saw in the data Palaven Command sent us."

"Very good, soldier. What else?"

"Sir, we detect a small complex of structures near the moon's south pole. Judging by the excavations surrounding it, it is likely a mining facility." answered one of his Sensors operators.

Another spoke. "There are small artificial objects scattered in orbit above the moon, roughly 15m in size, at least twenty of them. We won't be sure until we are closer, but they could be a defense grid of some kind."

"Curious. Keep a close eye on both, soldiers."

"Yes, General."

"Yes, sir!"

Desolas Arterius stood upon the central platform of the _Penitent Justice's_ Combat Information Center, arms crossed at his chest. All around him, his legionnaires sat at their stations, seeing to their duties with the firm concentration that was expected of them.

The CIC had no external windows of any kind. Like all Hierarchy warships, the command center and bridge were located in the center of the hull, were they could enjoy the greatest protection from the armor. All outside images were transmitted through monitors. In front of the platform, a large holographic table currently showed three-dimensional images of their adversaries.

"What can you tell me of the planet, Specialist?"

"Standard garden world, General. Oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, average surface gravity, below average surface temperature. There is very little in orbit: a large structure that is most likely a refueling station, and a handful of satellites. The whole area is very sparse, sir. This is either a very recent colony, a low priority one, or both."

Desolas nodded. "Agreed. That leaves the tantalizing question of where, exactly, these people live. And what forces they could have there. Fate willing, we will have answers to those questions soon." he put his arms at his back and adopted a straight, but relaxed, posture. "Comms, hail the cruiser, please. Use the language they tried before. Tell them we wish to talk."

"Huh, sir? I thought our orders were to subjugate them?" normally, a turian would not dare to question a direct order. But Desolas encouraged his soldiers to express their doubts to him, if the situation was not critical.

"Why, of course, Specialist. Those are indeed our orders, and we shall fulfil them to our utmost capacity. There is, however, no need to resort straight to violence, if a little diplomacy might yield us the same results, yes? Besides, it is only common courtesy."

"Yes, sir! Sending the hails now, General."

"Thank you. And soldier?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep the channel private, if you would. I want only those in this CIC to heart it."

"Of course, sir."

"Thank you again, soldier." he turned to the central monitor. _"Now, what game shall we play?"_

* * *

"Admiral, we are receiving tight beam transmissions on multiple bands from one of the cruisers. I believe they are hails, sir." said Sensors.

"Humpf, so _now_ they want to talk? Comms, make sure your system is completely isolated from the ship's network, then you can take that call. Record everything and add it to our data package after you make sure it's clean. Also, stream the signal to General Williams. Remind him to take the same precautions."

"Aye, aye, sir."

In cyberwarfare, a ship's communication systems were the primary doorways into the vessel's intranet. As such, they possessed multiple firewalls, buffering layers, redundancies, and were designed to physically disconnect from the ship's mainframe.

"Admiral, I am getting audio. It is in Prothean, sir."

"So, they are protheans?" asked his Chief Navigator.

"Heh, if they are," responded his Gunnery Officer, "they sure as hell have been just sitting on their hands for the last 50.000 years. Those ships have no tech different from the ones we found on Mars."

"I think we will know soon enough, gentlemen. What are they saying?" interrupted D'Amico.

"They are asking to talk to the Commanding Officer, sir. Their speech patterns are coming out very fluently, it's astounding. Native language or not, they have complete dominion over it."

Real-time translation software was something humanity had perfected long before Mass Effect technology was found. If the received language was a well-known one, words were transmitted flawlessly along with timbre and emotional inflection. Accents were a matter of customization: one could make Russian translated to English have a stereotypical Russian accent, a New York accent, or even an exaggerated Japanese accent. It was all left to taste.

Most of the information on the Prothean Archives was stored and encrypted in mystifying ways that required painstaking research and examination. But one of the first things they found were complete instructions on a language and writing system that used images, sounds and even mathematical representations to teach the meaning of the words, eventually going into complex grammar and syntax. That the images often depicted very human-like figures and terrestrial features was the first proof the scientists had that protheans had studied ancient humans, and most likely interacted with them.

Learning Prothean was becoming a very popular thing back on Earth.

The admiral grunted. "I suppose that is a small blessing. Very well, Sergeant, tell them we will talk."

They all waited as Comms relayed their message. D'Amico felt a surge of hope, perhaps they could still resolve this without a battle. He could see that same hope on the faces of his people.

"Sir, their own commander will speak to you… sir, the transmission changed. It's a video stream."

"A true tête-à-tête, then. All right." The admiral got up from his chair, straightened his uniform, and walked to the center of the bridge, right in front of the main screen. He stood at parade rest. "Connect us, Sergeant, but focus the camera and mic only on myself. Let's see where this goes."

"Connecting you now, Admiral."

* * *

"Harry! Harry, wake up!"

"Ugh, what? Astrid?"

"Wake up! We are receiving a transmission from the Flotilla, the aliens are here!"

"…show me."

* * *

D'Amico was sure he had let his shock register on his face for a moment. He did not knew exactly what he was expecting, but surely it had been nothing like this.

To start, the ship was not filled with water, or green gas; it was not made of crystal or organic tissue. There were no puddles of caustic ooze on the floor. There were chairs, consoles and monitors very similar to their and own, even if their interfaces were almost all holographic. Everything considered, it could almost pass for a human ship. As for the aliens…

Whenever he thought about a sapient alien species, especially in the last few days, many things came to mind: green skin, big heads, horns, tails, tentacles, and many stranger still. But in all his visions, their enemy had always been either very human-like, or so completely different as to look like beasts.

He honestly had not expected the truth to be half-way there.

The creatures in front of him were humanoid in shape. They stood upon two legs, had two arms, one head and two eyes. Everything else, however, was different.

"Holy shit! Somebody tell me I'm seeing this wrong, and those things aren't made of metal."

"Well, I know I'm not going within ten meters of one without a gun. Can you imagine trying to punch that face?"

"That's what electric-charged knuckledusters are for, man."

"Damn, they look like a cross between a dinosaur and a hawk."

"Yeah, a hawksaur made of _fucking metal_!"

As more whispered conversations followed, the admiral restrained the urge to talk his people down. At least the aliens would not hear them. Hastily schooling his features, he gazed hard on the small eyes of his supposed counterpart, the one standing upon the raised platform in the center of the image and clad in a silver-white suit, probably armor. He did not know the first thing about aliens expressions, but he could tell the creature's face and posture had not changed a millimeter since the connection began. He seemed unsurprised about a human's features.

What little he could see from the ship's interior was just like the outside; all hard metal and sharp angles, just like its inhabitants. There seemed to be a theme here. A theme that spoke of endurance, discipline, and ruthlessness, but that last part was probably just the admiral's prejudice speaking. Unlike his own rowdy sailors, he could see that the other members of the alien crew where all completely focused on their stations, only sparing occasional glances to him.

After what seemed like an eternity of the two military leaders assessing each other, the silver alien gave a nod, or what D'Amico thought was a nod, and began speaking.

"Greetings." the voice was another surprise. It was smooth, deep, and had a pronounced flanging. "I am Desolas Arterious, General of the Turian Hierarchy and commander of the 16th Enforcement Fleet, belonging to the 37th _Vindex_ Legion. It is an honor to meet you, friends. I only wish it were under more auspicious circumstances."

At least he could understand it well enough, apart from a couple of words. He was still surprised though. Like Comms said, that greeting had been very… normal. What he would have expected from a foreign leader on Earth, and not one from a completely different species.

"Friends? Did that translate right?"

"Is this guy for real?"

"Forget that. Did you see all the fangs in that mouth? Or those claws?"

The admiral answered. "Rear Admiral Carlos Lucio D'Amico, of the Systems Alliance." he would not give them more than that for now. "And I have to know why you decided to bring your 16th Fleet into our system, General."

Said general tilted his head slightly, the… plates over his eyes moving in eerily imitation of eyebrows. "_Your_ system, Rear Admiral? Well, I suppose no one was using it for the moment, but let me assure you that this system is very much a part of the Hierarchy's territory. So I am afraid to inform that you are the trespassers here, my friend."

"The Systems Alliance has no wish to impose upon the territory of another species. If this system has been previously claimed by your people, then I am sure we can reach an accord that can satisfy both of us. In our view, though, it still does not justify the unprovoked attack on one of our ships."

He still looked at D'Amico in what he could only guess was a relaxed, ponderous stance. "Now, that could yield a good debate, could it not? But we are getting ahead of ourselves here, Rear Admiral. Let us begin with the basics, yes?" he gestured grandly to the people around him. "We, are turians. A proud people hailing from the planet Palaven. We have charted the stars for almost two thousands of our homeworld's orbital periods. Now, I don't know how much time that would be to you, but it is sufficient to say that we have been around for a while. Our government is the Hierarchy, an assembly of the most accomplished members of our society, those who have proven themselves before their superiors and their peers." he then put a hand upon his chest. "I am a male of my species. Specialist Neandra here," he pointed to another turian, smaller and with softer features, "is a female. We are both members of our military forces. We are charged with the hallowed duty of safeguarding turian space, the integrity of our structures, and the lives of our people."

He then extended his hand to the screen. "And you?"

All this felt surreal to the old officer. Was this conversation really happening? Above all else, he could not get past just how 'unalienish' this meeting was going.

He was also in a terrible state of doubt, and he did not like it one bit. What should he do? How much should he reveal? They perhaps had a chance to talk their way out of this, but at what cost? In the end, he decided to play it safe, for now.

"We call ourselves humans. We come from Earth, and are represented by the Systems Alliance, the political body responsible for the administration of our colonies and fleets. I am also a male and a member of our armed forces. We hold a similar function to yours."

If his short answers came off as offensive, the turian did not give any signs of it. Indeed, the strange appendices at the sides of his jaw opened slightly. It was a little disturbing, but it also left D'Amico with the impression of a smile.

"Humans…" he pronounced the word slowly, as if tasting it. "Humans. Excellent, we are making progress here, Rear Admiral. Now, I believe you may be a little puzzled by my behavior, my friend. Don't be, you are hardly the first intelligent species we have encountered."

"_Now that is very interesting."_ though the admiral. "I see, and do you greet all new species with mass accelerator fire?"

Maybe that had not been the wisest thing to say, but D'Amico was getting tired of all this pleasantry, when the alien at the other side of that screen had twenty-three very large guns aimed at his ships.

"Ah, yes, the root of the matter. I can see you are a direct being, Rear Admiral, and I respect that very much. As you wish, let us leave cultural exchanges for later and discuss the reasons of our coming."

The General put his hands at his back once more. "We were sent here, Rear Admiral, because your people have committed some _very_ serious crimes. Some time ago, one of our patrols caught your ships in the process of opening a closed Mass Relay, I am sure you know what those are. Now, I do not know what kind of rules you have set for yourselves, my friend, but the rest of the galaxy considers the activation of Mass Relays of unknown destination as foolishness and irresponsibility of the highest order. Like I said, we have been around for a time, and we learned long ago that such reckless actions will bring far more harm than good."

So the Relay _had_ been the cause of the attack, like Williams theorized. Exactly _why_ activating it was considered such a grave offense to these people was a mystery best left for later. "If that is the case, why didn't your patrol simply tried to establish communications, like you did?"

"That was a very unfortunate play of circumstances, Rear Admiral. We only realized your ships were tempering with the Relay far into the activation process. Perhaps you don't know, but there comes a point where the activation sequence becomes self-sustained."

D'Amico suppressed a frown. They did not, in fact, knew about that. The instructions left at the Archives told them an uninterrupted data stream was necessary at all times. And they never risked stopping the connection half-way, too afraid of causing some kind of permanent damage. No one took any chances where a Mass Relay was involved.

The turian officer went on, heedless of his thoughts.

"We observed you for a while, but we had no true reason to suspect your vessels belonged to a yet unknown species. Like I said, we have found many; new frigate-size ship designs come out all the time, even you will have to admit that our ship's basic structures are very similar. And all of the other known races are aware of the dangers involved with the Relays."

Another reasonable point, if the bit about _other_ alien species was true. Did they not suspect the ships could have been human, as well? Behind his back, the admiral's hands clenched tightly.

"So, from the patrol's perspective, there were two rogue ships knowingly performing a Grade One unlawful operation within turian sovereign space. Coupled with that was the fact they had to act with utmost urgency, because we did not know how long it would take before the misdeed would be beyond reversal. They engaged your ships in battle with the hope that they would stop the transmission and flee, but that did not happen, did it? Even after the transmitting vessel was incapacitated, the data stream did not stop. The commander of the patrol decided to take no risks in such a dire situation, and ordered fire upon your ship until the signal's interruption. And just in time, too. The Relay was a scant few minutes from the point of no return."

The Admiral gritted his teeth. He was trying very hard to come with a reasonable counter-argument that did not sound naïve. Everything rested on this supposedly terrible danger of the dormant Relays. If one accepted that as a fact, than the alien's actions were not without reason. Many would not agree, but D'Amico was a military flag officer. He understood hard decisions and collateral damage.

"You had no other recourse? Electronic interference, pinpoint strikes against the ship's communication arrays? There were seventy-two souls on that ship."

The turian raised his three-fingered hands (where those claws, after all?), in a very familiar placating gesture, if it was translating properly. "I am terribly sorry about the lives of your soldiers, Rear Admiral. I know they can never be replaced. And I will not be so arrogant as to say there were no other, better means we could have employed to stop the activation. But that is not the point. The humans are obviously young to the galaxy, if the true gravity of the situation is not clear to you. An action _had_ to be taken, or the damage could have been unfathomable. It is a tragedy, but we have to see the bigger picture, look to the greater good. Sometimes we need to commit a minor hurt in order to prevent a much greater harm."

"Condescending prick." came the muttered voice of his Gunnery Officer. He agreed, and was tempted to inform the general that humanity had opened many closed Relays, and not one had turned into a doomsday device yet. But somehow, he did not think that would help their position very much.

He went for a more diplomatic approach. "I see you truly believe in the necessity of your actions. I cannot pass a judgment without first understanding more of these dangers you speak of. It is above my station, anyway. I must pass this matter to Alliance Command. If we can abstain from further hostilities, General, I'm sure can resolve this peacefully. Humanity has no wish for unnecessary conflict."

"We have no desire for bloodshed either, Rear Admiral. And if it had been just the unfortunate situation at Relay 314, we would be more than willing to follow your suggestion. But shortly after committing such a transgression, you then caused the destruction of one of _our_ ships."

At that, D'Amico lost his patience and spoke with a much harsher voice. "We didn't know about your laws! Your ships had just taken human lives, they were scavenging our corpses! They tried to attack us again!"

His counterpart remained unfazed. "Ignorance of a law does not exempt one from punishment, my friend. And our ship was simply looking for survivors. They were collecting the remains of the crew for safekeeping, to be returned later and given whatever funeral rites were appropriate. Our culture holds much respect for the dead, Rear Admiral. That was also when we finally learned we were dealing with a previously unknown race. So yes, we examined the wreckage. We wanted to learn about you, to understand you. How else would we succeed in a new, peaceful contact? But then you came back; you surrounded our ship, and when they tried _non-lethal_ ways of escaping the clear danger to their lives, you hunted them down in the very same ruthless and unrelenting manner that you say we used before."

The admiral went to protest at that, but the officer put one hand up and there was such an imperious cast to his plated face that the human stopped. He got down from his platform and came to stand in front of it, and the way he stalked finally brought fully home the fact that, whatever these people were, they sure as hell were not herbivores.

"And that, I am afraid, made your circumstances much more complicated. You see, we simply cannot allow a military force of no small power and confirmed belligerence to happily play on our backyard, can we?" were before the man's voice had been relaxed and, dare he say it, soothing, now it was pure steel.

Whatever hope D'Amico had for a peaceful resolution died right there. Everything about the alien's stance screamed 'we won't compromise'.

"Make yourself clear, General."

Those cold eyes where fixed on his own. "You have two options, Rear Admiral. The first is to immediately surrender all military assets and personnel in this system to our custody. We will go to your colony, where you will mobilize any civilian population to also surrender themselves to inspection and relocation to safe camps we will establish. You will be allowed to make any necessary provisions for their lodging and biological needs inside those camps, under close supervision, of course. Most of your soldiers will be allowed to join the civilians, but any high-ranked officers will surrender themselves for questioning. Your people, along with your facilities, ships and other vehicles will remain under the guard of the Turian Hierarchy until terms can be reached with your Systems Alliance as to their transfer."

"Not a single human will be deliberately harmed by turian hands, unless in self-defense. We will help you maintain order among the people, and will provide any resources within our reach to guarantee their safety and relative comfort. There are many dangerous elements in the galaxy, pirates and bandits without nation, governments that pray on the weak. As long as your people remain under our custody, my ships and legionnaires will protect them with their very lives. All this I swear to you on my honor as a General of the Hierarchy, and upon the Spirit of the 37th Legion."

D'Amico shook his head. "General, be reasonable. You cannot expect us to trust our wellbeing to a mysterious new species we have just met. As a military leader, you especially cannot expect me to allow you unfettered and unlimited access to classified Alliance property."

"I understand the conditions are harsh." he gave an agreeable nod. "They are, however, non-negotiable."

The admiral's face was an impenetrable mask, if the other soldier ever could read it, anyway. "I see. And if we refuse?"

Neither voice nor face changed, the general answered the implied threat. "We will destroy or force the retreat of all your ships. Then, I will station my fleet on orbit over your colony, and we will bombard any military or industrial facilities we can identify. We will try to keep collateral damage to a minimum, but will not stop until all organized armed resistance upon that planet is impossible. Then we will go down and move every human on the surface to the camps. Those who try to resist, by any means, will be considered as aggressors and treated accordingly. In the end, we will achieve the same result, only with far greater losses to you."

Each word was like a stab to D'Amico's chest. But they also served to harden him. "Why not just drop a bomb on the planet and be done with it, general?"

"A bomb?" the voice was full of derision. "I imagine you are talking about a nuclear fission or fusion weapon. Do not be absurd, Rear Admiral. We are not barbarians who would so carelessly contaminate a garden world, or kill non-combatants indiscriminately. No, small asteroids and mass accelerator rounds will be much cleaner and just as efficient."

"Surely you realize we are part of a much larger civilization, General? This is just a fraction of our military, and the Systems Alliance will not stand idle while humans are made hostages of a foreign power. I am prepared to admit that the incidents at the Mass Relay were terrible misunderstandings on both of our parts. But if you attack us now, it will be nothing less than an act of war."

He saw the alien raise one of his claws-like fingers and start to scratch at one of his face appendages. But the piercing eyes never left him. "I am aware of that possibility, Rear Admiral, even if I highly doubt the supposed size of your forces, especially in comparison to our own. But it does not matter how strong our adversaries may be, or think they are; the Hierarchy _will not _suffer such a challenge to its borders."

He started to pace in front of the screen, though his gaze never left D'Amico. Despite himself, the admiral was once again impressed at how the other turians in the room seemed able to just ignore the whole conversation. "Despite what you believe, this is not a permanent invasion, but merely a precautionary measure in order to safeguard our territory. Capture and death of your colonists is not my goal, just the neutralization of your local war machine. We will use the information acquired here to contact your government and open negotiations. I am confident my superiors will be open to a suitable compromise between our peoples."

D'Amico stepped forward. He knew it was useless, but he had to try. "Why don't we reach a compromise right here, the two of us? Grant us temporary heaven within your borders. Your fleet can stay. You can monitor us from afar and put any measures in place to control the entrance and departure of ships from the system. Our ships will not leave the colony's orbit unless given permission."

He opened his arms low, hands open, in what he hoped translated as a gesture of trust. "In exchange, you let us keep our autonomy until official terms can be agreed upon. Let us trade unclassified information about our civilizations and cultures, get to know each other. I will send a messenger to my government, you send one to yours, and we can let the politicians squabble amongst themselves." he tried his best to project the sincerity of his words.

The general seemed to honestly ponder it for a good moment. "Tempting, Rear Admiral, but a moot point. I have my orders and will see to them, like any good turian. If you will not surrender, then I am afraid our conversation must end here."

Admiral D'Amico stood there for a long moment, as his thoughts raged. He looked to his sailors, and found so many different emotions there that it was impossible to classify them all. Some were scared, some were angry. There were those who still had hope in their eyes, and those who had clearly already accepted defeat. But they had all volunteered to be at the _Nairobi_, fully aware of the likely outcome, and would follow through to the end.

He had never married, never had children. All his relatives were either too distant, or already gone from the world. But he never felt alone, because the military was his family. Every one of these people were his sons and daughters. This ship was his home. He could choose to believe in this turian; a simple 'I surrender', and his people might go back to their loved ones. Could he deny them that chance? Could he condemn them to almost certain death?

Yes, he could, and he would. Duty above all.

"_Virtute Siderum Tenus"_ he spoke the old words his grandfather always quoted to him within his mind, and they strengthened his resolve. When he spoke, it was calm and firm.

"I cannot accept your terms, General. Your people are not what I expected, and this exchange has been nothing like I imagined it would be. We seem to share many common traits, but the truth is that we know next to nothing about you or your people, and you are clearly not willing to let us learn in a peaceful manner. Even if your promise of safety if we surrender is true, a prison is a prison no matter how comfortable the cell or how gentle the warden. If you won't meet us half-way, then this conversation is, indeed, over."

The old man took a step forward and gave the turian his harshest, gravest look. "Attack, and we will defend ourselves. But let me tell you that you may find humanity to be a greater foe than you can imagine."

A little of the old military bravado never hurt, in his opinion.

Desolas just nodded. He closed his left hand in a fist and crossed the arm over his chest. "I look forward to seeing it. It was an honor, Rear Admiral Carlos Lucio D'Amico. May the Spirits of your people give you strength."

The inside image of the turian ship was once again replaced by the darkness of space. For a few seconds, nobody moved.

Until Sensors shouted. "Enemy ships on the move! They have split up, three of the cruisers are coming forward!"

D'Amico ran to his chair. "Get me Drugov! Tell Mercier to get moving! Upload all new data to the runner!"

"Aye, aye, sir!"

The admiral reached his seat, and practically jumped upon it. Comms had already opened a channel to the _Kings Moutain_.

"Admiral." greeted his long-time subordinate. They had served together for two years now. He was his most senior captain and would assume command of the 7th if the worst came to pass.

"This is it, Captain. Our hands are tied."

"That does seem to be the case, sir."

"You know what to do."

The captain took a deep breath, before saying simply. "I do, sir." it seemed the man had really run all out of protests.

"We cannot go head to head againt those numbers, Andrei. They would tear us apart." D'Amico's voice was understanding, but firm.

The younger man just nodded. "I know, Carlos. Good luck."

"To all of us, my friend." with that, the connection was cut. The admiral turned his attention to the tactical screen, where fifteen dots were now moving towards them.

"_Now, let's see how much our lives are worth today."_

* * *

Author Notes:

And so, one week became three. Terribly sorry about that, folks. For the last year and a half I have been putting off an invitation to spend some time in an old friend's country house. Two weeks ago, my company went into a short recess and I could not, in good conscience, deny him again. The place was beautiful, quiet, and had no internet connection whatsoever. The good news is that the fourth chapter is actually almost finished. It may be coming out this very weekend.

So, we have another slow chapter, but that is about to change. Everyone down in Shanxi is ready: civilians, soldiers and wizards alike, and the enemy has arrived. Negotiations have failed (not that anyone believed they would succeed), and all that is left now is to fight.

I would like to thank user jluk94 for his review. I could not do so via PM.

*An anonymous user quite disliked the little mental observations of legionnaire Aetius in the last chapter. Just to make it clear, entire lines in italic are a character's inner thoughts or memories. As for those particular lines, they were a quirk of the turian soldier and should not be making a comeback.

*User avarage . at . best raised many interesting points about the writing style. I thank him/her very much for the review and will take the thoughts into careful consideration, but I really need more opinions before I can tell if I am in the right direction or not.

One of the things I want to say is that while the story was designed for multiple POVs, the narrative will eventually start to focus more on Harry. But the secondary cast will still take much screen time. Harry is the main actor here, but he is just one player in this game. There are many characters and they can be hard to keep track off or relate to, especially if I fail to present them in an interesting manner, but most of them are only temporary. The key characters are those that will appear persistently over the chapters.

Hope you enjoyed it. Give me your thoughts. Chapter five will be all about the battle for Shanxi's skies.

*Based on reviews and on a little reflection, I changed some lines and words to tone down the dramatic fatalism of this chapter a bit. Not remove it, as the situation is still very desperate, but to hopefully not come so strong. It is mainly focused on the admiral's last exchange with Captain Drugov and on his discussion with Mercier on his first scene. It's just some five lines.


	5. Chapter 4: Shattered Skies

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

AN: As I said last time, this chapter is almost completely about the first battle for Shanxi's orbit. It just would not be a Mass Effect fic without at least one space brawl.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

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**Shattered Skies**

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**.**

**.**

"So, it seems they're going to just park up there and drop rocks on us."

"Seems like it. Unless they were lying."

"Well, if they just decide to drop a couple of nukes on our heads, we are screwed anyway, right?"

"There is that, yes. *sigh* All right, let's suppose it's true. Good thing I brought the orbs with me, then."

"Good thing you found them, in the first place. So, you are going to activate the Shroud now?"

"Not yet. Let's see how the battle goes first."

"There's no way the Alliance can defeat that many ships, Harry."

"I know, girl. Is the Command Center tracking the ships?"

"The satellite network is keeping a close eye on them. It most likely won't survive once the battle is over, but it is there for now."

"Warn me if any comes too close to the colony."

* * *

If they were too far outnumbered, should they fight or should they flee?

That had been the one million question at the officer's meeting. Captain Drugov remembered that opinions had been divided almost at the middle.

Those who voted for a tactical retreat argued that the defense fleet could better serve the colony by making threat runs against the alien forces, to keep them from focusing their attention completely at Shanxi. They could prowl the system, hide in the proximity of the lone gas giant, or behind the F-type main-sequence star. Look for targets of opportunity, ships bringing supplies or couriers. Above all, they argued that trying to match a superior force head on could result in their destruction without any significant damage to the enemy. They would be just throwing their lives away.

The officers proposing a battle countered by pointing out the inherent problems of hit-and-run tactics against ships equipped with kinetic barriers. They reminded everyone that they could only communicate and detect at FTL, which limited them tremendously as prowlers. They argued that their fuel, at battle stance, would not last the expected time it would take for the Alliance reinforcements to arrive, as the only refueling station on the entire cluster was right above Shanxi. Most importantly, they did not knew the enemy's intention, and if they only wanted to get close enough to drop some powerful WMD on the planet, they would do so unimpeded.

Drugov himself had been arguing for a battle, soften the bastards as much as possible. But both sides had valid points and everything could change with the circumstances. The discussion went on for more than an hour, until Carlos, who had remained mostly quiet for the whole thing, took the floor. The Rear Admiral acknowledged both groups' arguments, praised them for their dedication, and proposed a compromise.

A very daring compromise.

Before the first new generation spaceships had even left the shipyards above Earth and Mars, the Alliance Navy had run thousands of simulations and exercises on their new Headquarters at Vancouver, Canada. One thing had become clear from the beginning: in a space battle, you had to be either stronger, tougher, faster or have greater numbers than your enemy. If not, then victory was only possible at extreme risk. And even then, only if you got… creative.

Carlos pointed out a very interesting fact about the aliens' first attack on the SSV _Aldenhoven_ that they had only seen as another strange similarity their technologies had. Based upon that observation, he proposed they give the enemy a juicy enough target, and make them pay dearly for trying to take it.

Thus, Plan B was born. It was actually one of a number of variations. Now that they knew the enemy's forces and intentions, they would implement the admiral's original 'Hook, Line and Sinker'.

The captain watched the SSV _Nairobi_ through his screen, the gleaming white and blue vessel an imposing sight illuminated by the background light from the star. It was a beautiful ship, had been their bulwark for the last two years, and it would now become their dangling bait. Drugov had argued fiercely with D'Amico for the admiral to allow him to take command of the cruiser for this operation. He was motivated both by concern for his superior officer and by the burning need to try and exact some retribution for Leandra's death. But the old man could be stubborn as a mule when he wanted to.

He sighed, nothing to do about it now. The plan still had a high chance of being called off, especially now that they had a somewhat credible indication that the aliens would not just burn the planet away. If at any time the specific circumstances required for the operation to work were not met, D'Amico had already stated they would retreat and rethink their strategy.

Time to get the ball moving. "All ships, this is Captain Drugov. Retreat to designated point Sigma. Keep a spread formation." as he received acknowledgments from the other commanding officers, he turned his attention to the distant enemy ships.

"_First, we cast the Hook."_

* * *

"General, all the enemy frigates are fleeing! They seem to be making for the planet!"

Desolas was back at his platform, hands on the grips. The holo-projection in front of him now expanded to a much larger area, with all the ships in the battle space accurately depicted with their own models. The nine smaller human vessels were making a hard run, away from the moon and to their colony. Now there was only the cruiser and the mysterious satellites.

"Interesting, what is our friend's plan?"

"Perhaps they will try to use the colony as a shield?" suggested his First Officer, Commander Felix.

"We already stated that we would not hold from bombarding the planet, Commander. Besides, I think these humans have enough honor not to resort to such base strategies. No, what makes me wonder is why they would leave their most important military asset unprotected."

"They must have noted we left Vakarian's ships behind, so perhaps they think we are splitting up to go straight to the colony?"

Their three cruiser groups were approaching the now solitary human ship in the standard formation, with two ships side-by-side at the front, and another covering their sterns. All had their frigates, four each, making a defensive screen in front of them. Desolas had left the 53rd behind to serve as a backup and rapid response force, just in case their adversaries had assets away from this planet that somehow escaped their scans.

To be honest, Desolas briefly considered making the Patrol Group take point. He had a small fantasy about the humans making his life much easier by taking out the _Ascendant Shadow_ and its meddlesome commander. Not one day had been past and that woman was already making his plates itch.

But he dismissed the thought quickly enough. Besides it being a terrible waste, the 53rd was under his temporary command, and tradition demanded that, in any combat situation, he would always put his own forces at risk before any auxiliary ones. Just as it demanded that he face his enemy up front, if viable. In truth, the general _would_ have preferred to take his ships to the planet and start shooting at their precious settlements, let the humans scramble to their defense. But that would not be an honorable thing to do.

Desolas sighed. His people had put so many petty chains around themselves, it was a wonder they could still fight at all.

"Should we have our frigates chase them down, General?"

"Humm… I do not think so, Commander. I do not believe this is simply a matter of covering two fronts. They cannot effectively cover even one, and they know it." the general scratched his mandible in thought. "One of these two groups is a distraction, a trap. The question is, which one? And of what kind?"

"Sir, there's movement from that satellite field!"

* * *

In low orbit over Zhou, twenty-four spacecrafts came to life, as their systems were turned back on. The white hulls were marked by sweeping lines of bright red, and at the sides of every one was a stylized image of a mythical Chinese serpent.

"All right, boys and girls, wake up and let's show our visiting friends how we do things back on Earth." said Wing Commander Giles Mercier, leader of the Shanxi _Hua Dragons_ fighter squadron, in his radio.

In perfect synchrony, the fighters that had been floating around the moon for over two days shot out from orbit and went straight to meet the human cruiser.

Mercier looked at his long-range instruments. He was eager to see what kind of small combat spacecrafts these turians would have, if any, and how they would measure up against them. He knew they were in a terrible situation and would probably all die very soon, but he could not help but feel excited about the prospect of some good old dogfighting. He knew it was just his overconfidence speaking (and damn if he was not a confident man), but he would bet his left arm these people were in for a surprise.

Ten years ago, people like Giles were confined to Earth. It was simply not practical to deploy fighters in space. They were too small to have a nuclear plant and thus, enough energy or speed. They were slow, clumsy, fragile, and could not carry any effective payload, as small missiles suffered from the same problem.

The Prothean Archives changed that. Mass Effect technology allowed the manufacturing of extraordinarily small and powerful fusion engines. It allowed the creation of viable, high endurance railguns, and self-propelled projectiles. It made the old sci-fi 'energy shield' possible. Above all, Mass Effect cores turned the equation backwards, and now the smaller a vessels was, the faster it could go.

It reawakened human passion for small, agile, and armed to the teeth combat crafts. And if there was one thing to be known about them, it was that humanity loved their fighters. The state-of-the-art F-57 'Foe Hammer' was proof of that.

Hell, they had built whole dreadnoughts just to carry the things.

Sure, kilometer-long flying fortresses with a gun that shot pseudo-nukes at five seconds intervals were never something anyone wanted to be on the wrong end off. But when you got your ass handed out to you by a small group of little ships, that's when you tasted true humiliation. Personally, he would take the nuke-shot any day, if only to save face.

And the best thing was, this show was all about them.

"_This should be fun." _though Mercier, with a malicious smirk.

* * *

"They are all converging on the cruiser, but they are too fast! I think those are fighter-analogues."

"So, not completely unprotected, then. Still, what they expect fighters alone to do against fifteen ships?" wandered Desolas.

"That aside, more than twenty of them, sir? That's one hefty number for just one cruiser to carry. It is double what we carry ourselves."

"Unusual, yes. But do not forget their colony, most could be housed there. Regardless, it would be a disservice to let them think fighters are an exclusive human invention, would it not? Launch our own complement."

"Yes, sir."

Sections of the cruiser's outer armor opened to allow the exit of the small vessels holed up within. A minute later, thirty tiny figures joined the bigger ones on the battle map. Two-thirds stayed ahead, while the rest flew around the main formation.

"Striker flights Blue and Orange ready to attack at your order, General. Interceptor flight Purple is holding position around us."

"Excellent."

"Enemy frigates have stopped half-way to the planet. They are positioning themselves above the polar line." certainly to prevent any stray rounds from hitting their colony.

"I see." then, Desolas went quiet.

The next few minutes were passed in tense silence, as every turian on the _Penitent Justice's_ CIC waited for his orders to attack. It should be a simple matter: go and test the enemy's mettle. Then, when they had acquired enough information, hunt down and destroy them, or run them off. They had more than enough numbers and the technological edge to do so. And yet, the human's strange decision had left Desolas troubled.

These people interested him. Everything he saw from them until now spoke of cunning minds. The display during their first encounter with the four frigates of the 53rd had been pitiful, but their response certainly was not. The humans maneuver to isolate the frigate _Occram _at Relay 314 had been ingenious and daring. Retreating when the rest of the Patrol Group arrived had been the smart move. They were clearly able to adapt fast, a skill most of his fellow turians could use a little more off.

All in all, he knew there was something here he was not seeing.

"Orders, General?" asked Felix.

Desolas' eyes were focused on the human cruiser. "What are you hiding from me, Rear Admiral?" he asked softly to himself.

"General?"

"All groups, advance against the enemy cruiser at half-speed, the _Merit _and the _Lance_ will spearhead the attack. The _Justice_ will simply observe, for now. I want four light frigates to circle that cruiser. Keep your distance and be ready to move once the barriers are down." answered Desolas. "Have the 53rd engage the frigates, Vakarian can chose whatever strategy she wants. Everyone keep their formations and pay close attention to your surroundings. Let us see what they do."

They already knew the measure of the human frigates, they shouldn't be a problem. The cruiser and the fighters were the unknown elements here, and should be given priority.

"High Commander Vakarian acknowledges the orders, sir."

As they began moving, the eight ships of the 53rd Patrol Group advanced at full speed towards the cluster of frigates. They followed a circling route around the battle space of the turian groups and the human cruiser. At the same time two frigates from the _Justice's_ group, and one from each of the others, went to keep a flanking run around the cruiser. He waited to see if the enemy ship would make any move against them, but instead… "General, the enemy cruiser is advancing toward us as well. It looks like they want to meet us half-way."

"Seems like our friends will not run away. Their courage is worthy of praise, though I wonder if it is driven by desperation."

"_Or if there is something else behind this."_ although they both outnumbered and outmatched their adversaries already, the turian officer would still have preferred the additional support from the three remaining frigates of the 16th Fleet. But he could not have sent the _Serarth_ to scout alone, it would have made no sense. So he sent the vessels to patrol duties at different points of the system. It was probably something he would have done in any case.

"Sir, enemy fighters are advancing!"

"Will not run, indeed. In this case…"

The general trailed off, because the information displayed by the battle map was very unfamiliar. Fighters were separated into two kinds: Strikers and Interceptors. The former had better armor and shields, and carried extremely close-range disruptor torpedoes that could bypass kinetic barriers and strike directly against hulls. The torpedoes function was not to destroy the target, but to damage enough of their emitter assemblies as to make their barriers collapse. A ship without barriers was easy prey to frigate packs.

The latter were faster and more agile, equipped with multiple mass accelerators too small to endanger even frigates, but just ideal to take out other fighters. A fleet carried both; Strikers would advance to weaken the enemy ships, while Interceptors remained behind to assist friendly vessels point-defenses in taking down incoming hostiles.

Humans, however, seemed to do things differently.

"Did they just send _all_ of their fighters?" asked the First Officer incredulously, for every one of the twenty-four small figures on the battle map were moving towards them. "Are they all Strikers?"

"Perhaps." answered Desolas, but he felt uneasy. His instincts told him something was not right, just as they had screamed about the retreating frigates, earlier.

"All Strikers, advance. Interceptors, go ahead of them. Try to bypass the enemy squadron and go for their ship. If they don't change their course when you are half-way there, intercept them." their thirty fighters shot forward on a side trajectory. He did not knew what kind of danger the human's fighters represented. Turian Strikers had a couple of mass accelerators for self-defense, their superior numbers should give them enough of an edge. He wanted to see what the human's intentions were.

* * *

"They are sending their little kids to play with us. Let's show them who are the real Aces in these skies." although not unexpected, the presence of enemy fighters complicated matters greatly for Plan B. If the Dragons could not overcome them, the plan would die right there. But they could do nothing about that now except to take the challenge head on. Besides, the commander had been kind-of hoping for this.

"What are we?!" shouted Mercier.

"WE ARE THE DRAGONS!" came back twenty-three voices in unison.

"And what will we do?!"

"WE WILL BRING THE FIRE!"

* * *

"Enemy fighters are now on an intercept course against our own!" it seemed Desolas instincts were correct. The two dozen hostiles were deliberately advancing on his pilots. But the strategy confused him. Unless they were all Interceptors, why risk losing fighters before even trying for the ships? But of course, the rear admiral could simply be as wary of the turian fighters as the general was of human ones.

While both swarms of small spacecrafts rapidly converged at the middle of the battle space, every turian on the CIC watched as the larger ships came ever closer to one another. At 10.000 kilometers, they entered effective range of the cruiser's main guns. They were now close enough that powerful cameras and sensor imaging could render precise, real-time visual of the enemy on the main screen.

"Initiating evasive movement. _Merit _and _Lance_ ready to fire."

A sharp inertial shift was felt as all their ships began a rapid lateral movement, varying their speed and angle randomly to prevent easy calculation of firing solutions.

"Enemy ship has begun its own evasion, General. Judging by its positioning, the enemy cruiser will target the _Merit_."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "Open fire whenever ready."

A few seconds later, the cruiser _Valorous Merit_ fired the first round of the battle, its 398m long main gun using Mass Effect fields to accelerate a 10-kilo ferromagnetic slug to almost 0.5% the speed of light. It was immediately followed by the equal power of the cruiser _Exalted Lance_.

While there was a visible flash from the main guns' muzzles at each shot, caused by the dispersal of the Mass Effect field around the projectile, the common imaginary of bright streaks of light travelling through the void to impact with their targets was a product of fiction. The small slugs were non-luminous objects with negligible heat that traveled too fast to be seen. Without precision instruments, there was only one way to find them after they had left the gun's barrel.

The starboard of the human cruiser lit up in a rippling wave of blue light. On the battle map, the cruiser's model shone red for a second. "Confirmed glancing impact with the enemy cruiser's barrier. No visible damage."

"As expected." acknowledged Desolas.

"Enemy is returning fire."

Thanks to kinetic barriers, confrontations between ships of similar tonnage were slugging matches that could go on for a long time. If the human's barriers had anywhere near the strength of the turian's, which seemed to be the case, it would take many direct hits to overload their emitters. Once they _were_ disabled, though, the armor would not last nearly as long.

Like deadly dancers, the massive ships circled each other over an expanse wider than most terrestrial planets, doing their best to avoid exposing their broadsides, which would give the enemy a far greater target, while keeping their bows aimed at each other. The human cruiser was in the unenviable position of having to try and dodge two different attackers. Desolas could easily use his superior numbers to flank the cruiser on three sides and deny it any chance of evasion, but he was still curious to see if this was all the humans could do. It had some risk, but the longer the battle lasted, the more data they would gain for any future encounters.

One more glancing strike against the human's barrier. Then…

"Direct hit on the _Merit_!" shouted an officer. One of the screens showed the cruiser's own blue barrier shining bright for a moment. "Barrier threshold at 92%."

"Your assessment, soldier?" asked the general.

"The difference is less than what we observed with the frigates, sir. That impact was only 14% weaker compared to one of our own. If they have any dreadnoughts, I wonder how they will..."

"General! We just lost an Interceptor!"

_"What?"_ on the battle map, one of the little figures way ahead of them went black for a few seconds, then disappeared.

"How is that possible?! They are still outside of range!" exclaimed Felix.

"Outside of _our_ range, obviously." muttered Desolas.

One more fighter went black, followed by yet another. The turians arrived at range and started to fight back. They tried to stay together, but the humans broke formation, and what were once precise wings were now an angry cloud of fast moving little ships.

"What is happening there?! What kind of weapons are on those things?!" demanded his First Officer.

"Commander Felix, our pilots report they are being taken down by single shots from twin, very powerful mass accelerators cannons."

"We just lost three Strikers! The enemy is faster than us, too!"

"One enemy fighter destroyed!" one of the hostile figures vanished on the battle map.

"Finally!"

* * *

"Kwame is down!" shouted one of his wing mates.

"We will avenge him!" Mercier shouted back. "Don't let any of them get past us!"

_"Not so tough now, are you?"_ thought the commander viciously as yet another of the strange, curved, vertically aligned fighters tried desperately to flee from his sights. All around him, streaks of light flew in all directions, the lack of gravity making 'up' and 'down' a simple matter of perspective. A part of Giles mind noted these were the first ships they saw from the aliens that were not made entirely of straight lines.

Targeting computers provided minute adjustments to his aiming, compensating for the enemy's evasive maneuvers. The system was automatic: when the target was locked on, his two Lasier-Kedar Mark 10 Railguns would shoot without any need for his input. Like larger mass drivers, Mass Effect fields allowed the guns to have an unprecedented destructive power. Some of the alien fighters seemed to use eight smaller guns to maximize the chance of landing a hit. It worked, as poor Kwame could attest to, but it was proving a disadvantage against the human crafts.

"Hard luck, friend!" said Giles when his digital crosshairs went red. Two flashes of light shone from either side of his craft, and the hull trembled. The enemy's shield flashed for an instant, before the fighter was literally cut in half. Giles deftly avoided the debris.

The enemy frigates and cruisers could be better than humanity's. But when it came down to fighters, they had the aliens beat, hands down. They were almost half a time faster and had superior handling. Their shields were stronger, and he would bet their armor was tougher too. Their guns were slower, but far more deadly when they hit. It even looked as if most of the enemies could barely fight, their superior numbers were useless.

"Most of these aliens are a joke!" laughed his other companion.

"Look at them, trying to keep their little formations. They are making this too easy." that was another thing. The aliens were competent, but they were simply... not daring enough. His boys and girls were running circles around them while they tried to stay together and cover each other.

"That's what happens when you send a bird to fight a Dragon!"

Giles shields went up. "You've got one on your ass, boss. I'm on it."

"Don't bother. Focus on your own boogies."

Giles threw himself in a series of corkscrews, turns and rolls that would have been absolutely impossible inside an atmosphere. No air resistance and a small size meant that a fighter being pursued could even turn 180° to shoot his at his hunter, and still keep his original vector and speed by inertia alone. Soon, he had the top of his would-be killer on sight. Another double-shot, another flash of shields, and another alien mark to his belt. He laughed, it really was too easy.

"Damn, we lost Gabby, too."

"We expected much worse." said the commander. "Stay focused! We have to mop up these guys fast, the _Nairobi_ is getting pounded."

"Aye, aye!"

A couple more marks, and the alien's numbers had been cut down by more than half. That's when they attempted to retreat.

"Admiral?" asked Mercier on his radio.

"Chase them down, son." the old man's voice was a little strained. Clearly things were not going nearly as good on the cruiser's end. "It will be one less worry for the colony."

"Yes, sir." responded the commander. "You heard the man! Not a single bird gets away from us today."

* * *

With a dull and heavy sound that could be heard by every human aboard, the entire ship vibrated as they fired yet again. Each shot was like a giant hammer striking against the hull, the immense recoil force of their main gun rattling equipment, furniture and people.

Surprisingly, that was the only source of disturbance on the _Nairobi_. Even as their kinetic barriers flashed again, the impact energy was completely repulsed. In an apparent violation of Newton's third law, the cruiser did not move an inch while being hit by yet another shot from the enemy.

Even so, that could change very soon.

"Shields down to 55%!" informed one of his operators.

"For the last time, cut it out with the 'shields down', will you? This isn't Star Trek." muttered another sailor to herself. D'Amico heard her, though.

Despite their current predicament, or perhaps because of it, the admiral chuckled; it was true. Every time the kinetic barrier was struck, the emitter array generating the Mass Effect repulsion field had to force an overcharge of energy to deflect the hit. After enough hits, or a single very powerful one, the emitters would overheat due to the amount of excess energy, and the field would collapse. All shields worked like that.

The time it took for the emitters to cool down enough so they could work again was popularly called the 'recharge delay'. So the famous 'shields down by X%' was a misnomer, because the kinetic barrier itself never got any weaker.

"Admiral, we have another hit to the enemy cruiser. They don't seem exactly worried about it, sir." said Guns.

"Understood Lieutenant, just keep at it. Taking them down isn't the purpose here."

"I know. But I still wish we could put one good round in them, sir. Make the hawksaurs bleed."

"Oh, they are bleeding, all right." said an ensign. "Have you seen the massacre that went out there?"

"Hell yeah! Can't beat our Aces. Glad to know we have at least one thing up on these goddamned freaks. Besides good-looks, I mean."

"Regardless," said his XO, "the delay has cost us."

"We can take it." told the admiral, firmly. "Like I told the Commander, it is best to deny them yet another method to attack Shanxi."

"Yes, sir."

"What about those frigates?" asked D'Amico, watching one of the circling vessels on an auxiliary screen.

"Still keeping their distance, sir. Just waiting for us to lose our shields."

"Of course. And how are Jun's people?"

"She tells me they can't sleep with all the noise, Admiral."

D'Amico chuckled again. No wonder Jun and Mercier had gotten along so well, they were both daredevils at the heart.

"As long as our shields hold, they will be fine, sir."

"Understood, Ensign."

"Another glancing hit! Shields down to 49%."

Yes, they could take it, but not for long. The enemy had three cruisers, and the only reason why they were still standing and not being shot from all sides, neck-deep in frigates was because they were being tested, evaluated. It was another thing they had gambled on. D'Amico could understand the turian general's reasoning; Desolas was taking his time to analyze the power of the cruiser's main gun, its maneuvering speed, its shield's strength, its combat endurance. The admiral knew that the moment the general thought they had enough information, every single one of those ships would crash down on the _Nairobi_ like a furious tide.

But that was all right. They were counting on it.

* * *

On the other side of Zhou, the nine Alliance frigates were having their own pitched fight against their turian counterparts. Unlike the circling artillery exchange between the cruisers, the smaller vessels fought much more like fighters themselves, rocketing up and down on the battle space. Swift rises, dives and spins in the void, each one taking a ship tens of kilometers away from their starting position, so fast they moved. The pilots operated entirely by instrumentation and augmented reality projections; it was impossible to track a target by sight.

Contrasting the cautious approach of the main enemy force, this detachment had advanced upon the human vessels without any hesitation. Every one of the seven alien frigates went for a different target. Captain Drugov had his ships engage, with his extra pair double teaming enemies as needed, mostly the heavy frigates. He knew his frigates were no match for the turian's ship-for-ship, but the goal here was just to hold on until the _Nairobi_ could finish its game.

And so they flew, dodged, and traded fast mass accelerator fire.

"The _Agnadello_ is down the 34% shields!" informed one of his operators.

"_Agnadello_, get yourself some space. Give those shields time to recover a little." ordered the captain in his comms.

"Understood." was the simple response from the frigate's commander. On his tactical screen, Drugov supervised the whole battle. His eyes struggled to keep track of all the moving dots, as heaps of information poured on auxiliary screens. He let the actual commanding of the _Kings Mountain_ in the hands of his XO.

It was like a game of cat and mouse, except that the mice also had teeth and struck back. Close in, shoot, retreat. Over and over again. There was one strange thing, though.

"Enemy cruiser is still keep its distance, sir."

And there it was, keeping a menacing circle around the frigate's battle space. Despite the smaller ships aggressiveness, the turian cruiser had yet to fire a single round from its main gun. Which was a damned blessing, in truth. Based on the data sent by the _Nairobi _about the enemy cruiser's strength, he knew their frigates would not go down to a single shot from the much larger vessel, but it would still take out more than half of their shields. And even if the spinal gun could not be used, the ship also had a dozen secondary mass accelerators on each flank that could cause some serious damage.

But for all that power, it kept holding back, though not completely. A couple times, things got a little too hot for the double-teamed alien frigates. When that happened, the cruiser would suddenly be there, shooting the human frigates and forcing them to retreat. But as soon as the situation was under control, it would leave once more.

Honestly, Drugov got the impression of a parent watching their kids fight. It would step in if things got out of control, but was otherwise content to let the young ones match it out.

He spared a glance to his left. Four highly specialized sailors operated a line of stations, all wearing full headsets. "Cyber, anything?"

His senior cyberwarfare officer, who was also coordinating the whole fleet's effort, gave her report. "Nothing, sir, on either end. Our primary firewalls are taking a beating, but they aren't in any danger yet. As for our own efforts, I'm afraid we have little to show. Their communication lines are much more refined, their tightbeams give 'tight' a whole different level. We can barely establish connections, Captain."

He nodded. "Just make sure they don't get to us, Anna."

"Over my dead body, sir."

"Flaming aliens got out again!" came the exasperated voice of his XO. It seemed their charge had been thwarted once more.

Drugov did not know why the invaders remained happy to simply trade shots with his ships, but he was not so idle. Every few minutes, he would have a group of ships rally together and gang up on a single target, a fast maneuver that almost always took an enemy by surprise. If done correctly, the ships could quickly incapacitate a hostile before their own ignored foes capitalized on their distraction.

And yet, every time he tried, the enemy would respond so ridiculously fast, it was almost unnatural. They would close ranks or retreat almost the instant he gave the order. It was as if whoever was coordinating the battle on the turian's side could read his mind.

In all honesty, the _Mountain's _captain was disturbed. This enemy's moves spoke of absolute confidence; it knew what it could do, and it knew what the humans could do. It did not meant to destroy, but to exhaust them. Technological edge aside, Drugov had a gut feeling that Plan A would not have succeeded against this particular group.

"_Whoever their commander is,"_ thought the man. _"he is frighteningly good."_

* * *

"Fighters closing in, General. They are going for the _Lance_'s group."

"Send our frigates to help them."

On his platform, Desolas' face was an unreadable mask. He was impressed, not an easy thing to do for a man like him. Thirty turian fighters were gone in minutes, most of them outright destroyed. Only four human crafts had been shot down.

He could not remember the last time he had seen such a one-sided battle between similar numbers.

Desolas looked at the battle map. The cruisers still circled each other. The _Valorous Merit_ had taken a few good hits, but was still far above half threshold. The enemy frigates were still giving their all, 140.000 kilometers from the planet, the 53rd matching their every move.

"Spirits, how can those things be so powerful?" his First Officer was still stunned by how easily they had been overwhelmed. But he knew the man had served as a pilot himself, for a time.

"Effort and money." said a young specialist.

"Indeed." whispered Desolas.

That the human's fighters were so superior when their mastery of technology was lower than the turian's meant that a ridiculous amount of research and development had been throw into their project. Amongst galactic militaries, fighters were seen merely as support units. One other mean to soften down larger ships to make them easier to destroy. Even the salarians, the ones who invented the disruptor torpedo and used fighters in large scale battles for the first time, were not so obsessed with the concept.

It had been a mistake to send his own fighters out in the open, he knew it now. If they had remained close, the frigate's GARDIANs would have helped them tremendously. But Desolas had been wary of letting such high numbers approach when they had no idea what kind of anti-ship weaponry they carried.

But now, they would find out.

"_Lance's_ frigates forming up in front of the cruiser. They are shooting their main guns." a useless maneuver, the general thought. Fighters were too nimble to be hit by a large ship's central mass accelerator.

He watched on the screens as the swarm came in groups of twos and threes. Predictably, they dodged every round shot at them. Seconds later, they were upon the frigates.

* * *

"Break off!" ordered Mercier. "Watch out for those heavy frigates, and stay the hell away from that cruiser!"

The twenty human crafts all went to their designated frigates. The one-hundred to one-hundred-and-a-half meters long spaceships resembling more than ever giant birds of prey. They were still trying to shoot their spinal mass drivers, but even from this distance, the fighters maneuvered too swiftly to be locked on. Soon, it was no longer possible to align their bows with the little speeding devils.

When they came in range, the Foe Hammers began shooting their railguns at the frigates. The ships lit up in blue as dozens of tiny rounds peppered their shields. While the alien fighters had gone down to a single pair of shots, a frigate's kinetic barrier was a hundred times stronger.

Suddenly, a red light shone from his target's port side, and Mercier's F-57 trembled. He hastily broke off his approach, circling over the frigate. Looking at his side, he could see a long gash on his left stabilizer, still glowing hot.

"Look out, Dragons! Laser point-defense systems! At least 7 kilometers of range!"

"We know, boss! We are feeling them!"

And surely enough, every one of them was being targeted by the burning invisible beams of radiant energy. Lasers crossed space at the speed of light, none of that slow moving crap some sci-fi flicks liked to show, and were absolutely impossible to dodge if aimed right. They also completely bypassed kinetic barriers. But it seemed that the aliens had at least found the same limitation to them that humans had: effective range.

"Press on! Stagger your approach! We have to get close enough to launch torpedoes!"

* * *

"The fighters are still only using their guns, sir."

"How is that working out for them, Specialist?"

"Reasonably, sir. An average of 3% to 4% of threshold per double shot. It could be very dangerous if they are allowed to swarm the ships. Without the barriers, it might be strong enough to pierce straight through the armor at some points."

"The frigates' GARDIANs are working… somewhat." the small crafts were being heavily hit, but pressed on. It seemed they _also_ had exceptional ablative armor for their size.

While the three cruisers continued to exchange artillery strikes with each other over thousands of kilometers, the area around the _Exalted Lance_ had descended into what could only be called a generalized brawl.

For a time, the swarms circled around the ships, going back and forth and alternating their advances. Each time they suffered damage, but came ever closer. Once again they proved their superior build, as an ordinary fighter swarm would already have lost at least a handful of its numbers. But the defenses were also not giving all they could, as they had to reserve the laser batteries to intercept possible missiles. As they fired in quick succession, the laser arrays would start to lose power and precision, accumulated heat taking its toll.

"Two hostiles have become immobile, they are too damaged to move."

"Frigate _Steelix_ has barrier threshold at 49%. Frigate _Loxan_ is at 53%."

"Hostiles are launching self-propelled projectiles. Energy readings confirm they are disruptor torpedoes!"

And the moment of truth. Some of the small vessels let loose volleys of bright blue missiles, over twenty apiece. The GARDIANs went into full power, intercepting the slow moving warheads. But they could not take every one, and at every frigate at least a couple escaped destruction and came within range.

All targeted frigates went up in blue, as their barriers activated.

_That_ should not have happened.

"Enemy torpedoes have exploded against the barriers, sir!"

"Specialist?" asked Desolas, sharply.

"It's that simple, General." the man looked baffled. "Sensors confirm those _are_ disruptor torpedoes, very similar in principle to our own. It's curious how they also have them. But they just can't increase their mass to a high enough level as to bypass our barriers."

Barriers could only repulse objects up to a certain mass. Disruptor torpedoes bypassed kinetic barriers by using Mass Effect fields to drastically increase their mass for a split second. If they could not increase the mass enough to overcome the repulsion field, though, they would be repelled just like a common round. Worse, the warheads were designed specifically to rip apart matter, they had almost no effect on barriers.

"Is that possible?"

"Very possible, sir." confirmed the younger turian. "It has nothing to do with the barrier's strength; it's all in the refinement of the emitters. The human ones are obviously inferior to ours. If the torpedoes are tailored to bypass human barriers, it's very reasonable to discover they fall just short of overcoming our own."

A fortunate turn of events, indeed.

"More torpedoes released, General… all surviving ones ineffective against the barriers."

"Steelix is at 31%! Their guns are working just fine!"

"Sir, they are still launching torpedoes. I think they are just using them as distraction for the lasers, now."

"Tell the frigates to retarget their GARDIANs. Ignore the torpedoes, focus only on the crafts themselves." came Desolas' voice. It was obvious what the true threat was.

With the frigate's lasers now ignoring the ineffective projectiles and concentrating on their launchers, it did not take long for a bright blue flash to explode above one of them.

"One enemy down! Two more incapacitated!"

"There's desperation there, General. They are pressing on even when damage should make them retreat."

"They are willing to throw their lives away for a couple of frigates, Commander. They are obviously beyond self-preservation."

* * *

"They are tearing us apart, boss!" shouted his remaining wing mate. Rafaela had been shot down.

Mercier grunted in acknowledgment. His Foe Hammer sported multiple gashes, entire sections of his ablative armor were missing. He only had one functioning railgun and his right stabilizer was a melted glob. Luckily, he only needed it for atmospheric flight.

"Boss, every damn ship is firing just on us now!"

"I can see that perfectly well, Mika! Has everyone tried to use their torpedoes?"

"Almost everyone, sir. Not a single one has made it past their barriers."

"Then there's nothing else we can do here. Dragons, retreat! Admiral, we are going back."

"Understood, we have the data. Thank you for the effort Giles."

The eleven surviving fighters disengaged and started making their way back to the _Nairobi._ The Dragons had lost half of their pilots on that attack, every single one a good friend.

"Just make it count, sir."

"We will, son."

* * *

They watched as the human fighters ran in disarray to their ship, so different from a precise turian retreat. The frigates did not even try to shoot their backs.

"To spend so much on the ships and guns, only to skimp on the torpedoes." the young turian specialist shook his head.

Desolas agreed. Still, he expected that his report to Palaven Command would get many people rethinking their visions on fighters and their roles. He certainly was. Building multirole fighters like the human's would be much more expensive, but perhaps worth it. They might still not be capable of taking down a cruiser by themselves, as the larger ships had armor and barriers an order of magnitude stronger and possessed a more extensive and powerful GARDIAN. But as frigate hunters? That was a thought.

He turned his attention back to the human cruiser. Thermal reading showed the entirety of the hull was many times hotter than it had been at the beginning of the battle. In fact, some of it was even in the visible spectrum, as multiple strips along the ship shone a bright red. The turian cruisers were much better, not having to evade multiple foes for the last minutes. The _Penitent Justice_, still not having shot a single round, was barely warmer.

"What of their frigates?" asked Desolas to his Comms operator.

"Commander Vakarian says they are giving a good fight, but that everything is under control."

"I see. Thank you, soldier." the general narrowed his eyes on the battle map. "You tried and failed, Rear Admiral. Now, what will you do?"

* * *

On the SSV _Nairobi_, things were becoming desperate. Everyone was sweating profusely now. The inside temperature had risen by almost nine degrees Celsius, as enormous heat generated by the constant use of the main gun, the non-stop maneuvering, and all the energy being directed to the barriers could not be dissipated quickly enough. Their close proximity to a star did not help matters. The shield emitters were just two good hits away from overloading. When that happened, every round would impact the hull with the force of a small nuclear detonation focused on a very small area. Their armor was tough, but nothing they knew could stop such concentrated power for more than a few hits.

If a lucky mass accelerator slug did not finish them off, they would be cooked alive before long.

"So, that's it for the Hook." his XO just shook his head. "Shall we give them some Line, Carlos?"

"We shall. Helm, get us out of here! Attention all sailors, this is D'Amico. After the turn, I want everyone on this ship inside an escape pod ASAP!" the bridge crew would not follow, he knew. They were needed to fly the cruiser.

Every meter of the half-kilometer long ship trembled ominously as the _Nairobi_ made the tightest turn that was possible to make without tearing the hull apart. It was fortunate that they had been advancing very slowly. Two last shots hit them right as their starboard side was exposed, and every sailor onboard thought that would be the end of their shield, but the kinetic barrier still held at 08%. One of the shots had been another glancing hit.

Then, with another mighty shudder, the exhausted cruiser shot forward to the location of their frigates, at its full subluminal speed. The inertial dampeners struggled to keep pace and the admiral cursed his old age as he was almost throw off his chair. He belatedly realized he forgot to secure his harnesses in all the confusion of battle.

"_Come on, General."_ though Carlos D'Amico. _"You have enough information about our long range capabilities. Now there is only short range to know. Your prey is running away with its tail between its legs. Time to hunt it down and finish this."_

* * *

"General, enemy cruiser is retreating. It is making for the planet."

"The human frigates are moving. It seems they want to regroup."

Desolas immediately ordered. "Tell Vakarian to intercept them. Do not let those frigates approach."

"The 53rd is moving to block them, sir."

"Circling frigates, block their path! Do not let their barrier recharge! Remaining frigates move to engage." the time for evaluations was over. The larger a kinetic barrier was, the longer it took for the emitter array to reset. A soldier's barrier took a few seconds; a cruiser's could take minutes. But in all cases, a sufficiently strong hit could interrupt the process and keep the defenses down.

The humans knew their little fighters, no matter how advanced, could not win the day for them. They knew their frigates could not match the turian's and now they also knew even their cruiser could not survive. The only tactically logical thing to do now was to retreat to FTL and come up with a new plan. Or they might just leave the system entirely and only come back when they had reinforcements from their homeworld. If Desolas wanted to obtain any more information, he had to incapacitate that cruiser, and he had to do it right now.

All of their frigates shot in pursuit of the cruiser. Their smaller size made them have more than double the acceleration.

Their own cruisers would never catch up to them in time, but their frigates just might. That barrier should only be a claw tip away from overloading. Only a handful of shots from the heavy frigates could take it out, and a couple of well-placed rounds to the thrusters would finish the job.

"Forward frigates have engaged. They are being targeted by broadside mass accelerators."

"That could hurt." said Felix.

"Even a light frigate's barrier will survive a few shots from secondary guns, Commander. And they should be well away from any kind of point-defense systems."

"Sir, the remaining human fighters are moving to pursue our frigates."

"Ignore them. They can't hurt us now in such small numbers and without good enough torpedoes."

The fighters met with the frigates half-way and started to once again attack with their mass accelerators. But with such small numbers, the effect on the ship's barriers was easily shrugged off. They did not even bothered using their GARDIANs on the small crafts, reserving all energy to pursue the fleeing cruiser.

* * *

"The _connards_ aren't even trying anymore, are they?" shouted Mercier as he shot his single railgun at one of the heavy frigates. It was extremely hot inside the Foe Hammer, heat being a problem for ships of every size. Thankfully, his flight suit offered him some degree of protection.

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it boss?"

"Oh, my mind knows that. My ego, however, is screaming in indignation."

"So sorry for your ego, boss."

"You don't sound sorry, Lieutenant."

"I am, boss. I'm crying inside."

"Well, take your mental tears and shove them inside your…"

"Boss?" the voice of another Dragon interrupted them. It sounded a little tense.

"What is it, Natasha?"

"I did not want to tell you this earlier, boss, but I have some… troubles."

"What _kind_ of troubles, Nat?

"The kind that involves a busted FTL drive and a broken oxygen recycler that gives me about two minutes of remaining air supply."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Eventually, Mercier spoke.

"Just how did you manage to fuck up your _suit's_ recycler, Nat?"

"One of the lasers actually pierced my windows and hit the inside of my cockpit, that's how I lost my drive. I escaped having my head melted off, but a piece of slag nicked my helmet's air pipe."

Another moment of silence.

"Tough luck, yeah?"

"Can you try and make it to the _Nairobi's_ hangar?" he could understand why she kept quiet during the fight. She still had her guns, and without FTL she would never have reached Shanxi in time.

"Perhaps. But they are keeping it depressurized, aren't they? Frankly, I can think of better ways to die then crawling my way to an airlock. For example, I can make sure the birds fear us."

Mercier knew what she meant. He also knew, judging by the stubborn tone of her voice, that she would probably do it whether he approved or not. And Giles Mercier would not let the last memory this Dragoness had of him be one of disapproval.

"Nat, it was an absolute honor." he tried his best to make his pride evident in his voice.

"The honor was all mine, boss."

With a last goodbye to her fellow Dragons, the pilot accelerated until she was flying high above a frigate, which still would not use its point-defenses on the fighter. But that should change soon. With a sudden turn, she aligned her Foe Hammer with the target and shot her pod of torpedoes, as she could not do it before. The frigate's point-defenses came back online and started shooting the projectiles. But the pilot did not stop her maneuver, and accelerated at full power against the enemy ship.

"BRING THE FIRE!"

While the frigate's lasers were busy swatting away torpedoes, the fighter plowed through and hit the ship right above where would have been the bridge on a human vessel.

* * *

"General, one of the human fighters just rammed itself against the _Loxen_!"

"What!" Commander Felix was in shock. Desolas himself was very much surprised. "What about the others?"

"They have put some distance between themselves and the frigates, now they are circling them."

"What are the _Loxen's_ damages, soldier?"

"A section of the exterior layer on the superior hull at the bow was completely stripped, sir. The fighter could not build enough momentum and generate enough kinetic energy to really pierce the armor. But it could be much more dangerous if it was hit at greater speeds."

"What about its GARDIAN? I know they were not actively targeting the fighters, but the system should have responded automatically." asked Felix.

"That's just it, Commander, it did. Right before the fighter went against the _Loxen_ it shot another salvo of torpedoes. The GARDIAN went to shoot them out and ended up missing the fighter."

"I thought I ordered those frigates to target only the fighters with their GARDIANs, soldier?" Desolas asked with a fierce expression, mandibles tight against his jaw.

"Sir, you did. But when the system suddenly detected so many objects coming at once after a period of inactivity, it defaulted to its base configuration. It's a safety measure that the Gunnery Officers did not bother disabling."

Desolas made an impatient growl in the back of his throat. "Well, tell the commanders be on the lookout for any more approaching fighters. And to have their Gunnery Officers configure the GARDIANs to target only objects without torpedo signatures, we cannot afford another suicide maneuver like this."

"Yes, sir."

The First Officer nodded his head. "That was brave."

The general just crossed his arms and made a derisive sound. "Desperation, my friend, can make 'heroes' of us all."

They watched as their forward frigates harassed the cruiser, while the rest got ever closer. They were now almost back to the moon. Much further beyond them, the 53rd engaged the human frigates in battle. The humans actually had more numbers there, but the turian's better ships more than made up for it.

Comms spoke. "Sir, High Commander Vakarian wants to speak to you, she says the human frigates are too timid in their efforts to bypass them. She thinks there's something wrong with the whole scenario."

"Tell her we don't have time for doubts now, Specialist. Whatever happens, we will deal with it." even if this was still a trap, he was sure they could overcome it. They could not lose this chance.

"Yes, sir."

"Pursuing frigates are in range. They are opening fire and moving to surround the ship. Enemy fighters are still keeping their distance."

"Once the barriers are down, have all ships concentrate fire on the engines. I want that cruiser unable to move."

"Yes, General."

* * *

"Damn it, we can't dodge these things! Shields at 04%!"

All around them, the four frigates formed a loose circle. Mass accelerator rounds came by the bucketful. The cruiser's broadside mass drivers, weaker than even a standard frigate's main gun due to their small length, fired continuously against the hostiles. It at least forced them to waste time dodging and not concentrate full fire on the larger vessel.

"Carlos, if we wait for the other frigates, we might not survive this. And you saw what happened to our torpedoes. Will this even work anymore?"

D'Amico took a last moment to think. It was time make the call: stick to the plan, or retreat. This was the point of no return. If he went ahead with it, then no matter what happened, the _Nairobi _was going to bleed, hard. _That_ had been the problem with the plan, and the reason it had caused so much controversy among the officers. It was the reason they had left half of the crew on Shanxi or the other ships in the Flotilla; they would have left more, but there had still been the possibility of a straight space battle. It was the reason Drugov had protested so vehemently to D'Amico staying onboard. It was ironic, really, because in the grand scale of things, Plan A had a much greater chance of ending in all of their deaths.

"We worked hard for this chance. The Dragons worked deadly hard for this chance. It may not come again." said the old officer. They would cast the die and see where it landed.

The other man just nodded. The next fifteen seconds were some of the longest in all of their lives. Shots were traded back and forth between the cruiser and the frigates. And ever their shields came closer to overloading, until…

"Admiral, the rest of the frigates have arrived!"

Suddenly, there was a pressure, like the feeling of a loud sound thumping inside the chest. Every sailor had learned to fear that feeling. It was the sign that their kinetic barriers had just failed.

"SHIELDS ARE DOWN!"

Finally, the _Nairobi_ started to shake from the strikes against it, after standing unaffected for the whole battle. Even at only a fraction of a cruiser's power, each shot still seemed to vibrate straight into D'Amico's bones.

All he did, however, was to press a single button on his console, opening a communication line. "Sinker, it's your show."

The deceptively delicate voice of Lieutenant Commander Zhueng came to him. "Roger, Admiral. Don't worry, sir, we will make it work." she cut the call.

"I know you will, Commander."

* * *

Squadron Leader Zhueng Jun detached the improvised clamps that had been holding her ship on the underside of the SSV _Nairobi's_ side-sections. It was much faster than leaving the usual fighter docks inside the hull. All around the ship, her squadron did the same. "Time to join this party, Lions! The Dragons bled for us, now we will make the aliens bleed for them!"

Like the Dragons before them, she called the traditional battle cry of the Alliance fighter units. "Who are we?!"

"WE ARE THE LIONS!"

"And what will we do?!"

"WE WILL ROAR INTO THE VOID!"

In seconds, twelve new spacecrafts exploded from beneath the cruiser and shot at full speed to each one of the frigates. Bold gold on white gleamed in the black of space.

"Keep yourselves in sync, we have to attack all at the same time!"

"Finally decided to show up, _ma chère_?" came Giles voice on her radio.

"Could not let you Dragons have all the fun."

"Well, join in them. There's plenty for everyone."

"The Great Rift Lions have a big appetite, Giles."

"In that case, we will let you have them. We are kind of full, anyway."

A great spike of dark energy registered in her instruments. Jun brought up a rear image on her visor and spared a glance at the Nairobi. The great ship was making a vertical spin, something that looked acutely bizarre for a vessel of that size, but it was making their thrusters difficult to target, and less likely for a shot to hit the same place twice. The increase in energy was the ship's Mass Effect envelope expanding as it prepared to enter FTL.

"We need to do this NOW, people!"

"Dragons, cover them! Give the birds another target!"

In just a few seconds, every one of the Lions was upon a different frigate, followed closely by a Dragon. Jun herself got one of the bigger ships. The target immediately went into an evasive maneuver, but the agile fighter kept up. She knew the move had been to mitigate her speed, and not to lose her. They though the new hostiles wanted to ram them, too. That worked for the pilot just fine.

"I got you covered, babe."

The badly damaged spacecraft of Shanxi's wing commander got just ahead of her.

"You are all fucked up, Giles."

"I know, but a man can't let a lady get hurt."

"That's so twentieth century, Mercier."

"But it's true. Just like it's true that while I am the figurehead, you are the one with real power in this relationship."

She smiled. "That I am."

She got within range and let her torpedoes go, at almost twice the traditional distance for a volley. At the same time, the side of the frigate she was hunting lit up in red dots. Giles was pierced by three different beams, while she got just one. A similar scene was repeated at every other frigate.

None of her torpedoes were hit.

* * *

"Hook." whispered Giles, as fire burned inside his cockpit and another bright red light was the last thing he saw.

"Line." said D'Amico, a few white rays of the system's star illuminating his face through the cracks in the armor, as a shot went through all the bridge's layers to stop miraculously on the last one.

"Sinker!" shouted Zhueng, as she broke off her approach and flew away; wounded, but alive.

Twenty-two disruptor torpedoes targeted almost every single one of the turian frigate's stern sections. Twenty-two torpedoes that passed straight through their kinetic barriers. Twenty-two torpedoes that exploded right on top of the vessel's hulls, tearing large chunks of armor, busting shield emitters, and completely destroying thrusters. In two cases, a couple of projectiles passed through the damaged armor and detonated inside the ships. One of them had the Mass Effect core breached, and became a ball of blue fire and electromagnetic radiation.

The SSV _Nairobi_ was no longer being shot at. Most of her enemies could not move anymore.

* * *

"Jump to FTL!" shouted D'Amico, frantically. They could still escape! They could still win this!

The distant hum of the ship's engines became larger. The cruiser started to gain speed.

"Admiral, it's…!"

On the screen was the image of the last alien cruiser, the one that had been engaging the human frigates. It had been closing in at full speed since before the _Nairobi's_ fighter squadron had left the ship, and now it was right on top of them.

The giant gun's muzzle flashed just once. The shot struck exactly at the section around engineering that had been targeted most heavily by the enemy frigates. The slug hit the metal and shattered in dozens of fragments, piercing the flimsy remaining armor and tearing through their insides to cause horrendous damage to their engines. It sent the great vessel spinning, without control this time, and completely shattered any hope of entering FTL.

It did not fire again.

The admiral watched as the distant specks of light flew around them. The bright system's star, the pale glow of Zhou, the red and blue of distant Shanxi; all came and went. He also saw the grey metallic hulls of incapacitated or destroyed enemy frigates.

Well, tit for tat, as the saying went.

"Launch escape pods." said the old man, resignedly. Along the cruiser's hull, many small cylindrical pods shot out into space, their very limited moving capacity directing them to the Eldfell-Ashland mining facility on Zhou, as they could not risk the long trip to Shanxi. The place had been prepared with some supplies. It had deep excavated tunnels where the crew of the Nairobi could hole up and hopefully try to survive long enough for the Fleets to arrive. The escape pods had been filled with weapons, supplies and other equipment, including personal hardsuits that would allow his people to cross the almost complete vacuum of the satellite's surface.

He looked at his sailors. "All of you, get yourselves into a pod."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at his XO. "I know you are a traditionalist, Carlos, but captains stopped going down with their ships way before we first got into space."

At that, D'Amico let out a little laugh. "Indeed. I suppose I should get my old ass moving, then."

"You should."

"Have we sent all data to the Runner? Has the sequence been activated?" the man just nodded. "Then we are done here."

He got out of his chair and went to the pod located just behind the bridge. He was the last to enter. Before doing so, he sent one last sweeping gaze around his old home.

"Farewell." he saluted the empty room, then got inside the capsule. He had barely strapped himself when the pod gave a violent lurch as it was shot out from its tube. He hit his head hard on a metal support and had to blink the stars from his sight. Then it came, as the adrenaline began leaving his system. He knew the rest of the occupants were probably looking at him as if he was crazy, but he just found it terribly funny that his first injury in this battle had not been by any kind of enemy action, just his own clumsiness.

He could not stop laughing.

* * *

Deep inside a cave on Shanxi, a wizard sat in front of his assigned tent. A mild masking spell, which had once been popularly known as the 'Notice-Me-Not' charm, made sure no one would give him grief for violating curfew. He had just watched the battle data sent to Shanxi ground command.

Astrid had already told him about the plan, but knowing about and watching it were two different things. That had been bloody impressive.

However, it still did not change the fact the planet would now be defenseless.

Harry looked at the small orb on his hand. Unlike those it connected to, this one was made of gold and composed of many sliding sections, like a round Rubiks's cube. It was an extraordinary piece of enchantment, the whole set; made by his people on their waning years to help protect themselves from a society that threatened to hunt them down with weapons they had never faced before.

And now, he would use it to protect that very same society from a new enemy.

This kind of enchantment work was beyond anything he could do at his present level. Merlin, he did not know if he would ever be able to make something similar. It was ironic, how some of the wizarding world's greatest feats of arcane engineering were performed in their final, hopeless moments. He rotated the moving parts until the many symbols on the orb were arranged in a very specific order. Then, he took out his wand and put it against the artefact.

"_Occultum, Silentium, Vigilans._"

At each word, he felt a different pulse of power flow from the orb and travel eastward. Unfelt by all but him, the magical field of Shanxi over an area of many kilometers was being reshaped, an absurdly complex web of arcane lines forming a dome around the entire region. At twenty-one points in and around Central Settlement, a hidden orb of iron and rock glowed in a pale golden light.

Thanks to the invisible guardian angel watching over their systems, the Alliance Marines never felt the effects of the Shroud. But he would wager the newcomers would notice it soon enough.

* * *

Desolas was quiet. He watched as the defunct hulls of his frigates floated around the slashed and torn human cruiser. Only the occasional detaching piece of armor broke the tranquility of the battle space. The human frigates had disengaged and retreated to a point above the planet's northern pole. Without him needing to give any orders, the 53rd had already moved to stand guard over the extremely vulnerable turian ships. The surviving enemy fighters had all fled to FTL.

Casualty reports were coming in, but they were surprisingly bright, giving the veritable carnage before his eyes. Aside from the light frigate whose Mass Effect drive went into critical failure, and the one whose crew quarter's section was almost pulverized, there were very few casualties on the ships. Disruptor torpedoes were designed to damage large areas, the better to take out emitter assemblies, but that gave them low penetrating power. It was only when they hit in very large numbers, like here, that they managed to truly gut a ship. If anything, the humans had been too cautious, targeting the ship's thrusters to guarantee incapacitation, rather than try to destroy them completely.

Only a single vessel had escaped the surprise attack unscathed, the GARDIAN managing to take down its attacker before the fighter could launch any torpedoes. All ten others, including every single one of the heavy frigates, were now immobilized. Five lost their barriers completely, their emitter arrays too damaged. Three could no longer use their main guns, as the stern sections of the barrels had been breached.

"That was an incredibly bold strategy. These people are worthy of respect."

Commander Felix's voice was filled with an unmistakable tone of admiration. All around the CIC, many legionnaires seemed to share in that sentiment. The humans might have just caused them an unbelievable blow, but if there was one thing a turian soldier could respect, it was a plan with results. Of course, it only made them even more determined to beat this new adversary.

Unlike his subordinates, General Desolas was not feeling very admiring at the moment. No, the most prominent thing he felt right then was another one entirely.

Rage.

Not the explosive, screaming, blue-vision inducing kind of rage. Instead, it was a cold one, which burned like acid in his veins. He had been fooled, utterly and completely fooled. He _knew_ there was a Titan's cursed trap in there somewhere, and he still walked right into it like a blind _rhathakk's_ cub.

He had been arrogant. He thought whatever strategy the Rear Admiral had concocted was centered on his cruiser. He saw the ineffective torpedoes of the alien fighters as just another sign of their technological inferiority, and never bothered to look deeper. Such a simple ploy, pretending their weapons could not hurt them, but it worked.

Titans, if it had not been for damned Mavis Vakarian violating his instructions and bringing the _Ascendant Shadow_ to the battle, the humans might have got out of this with just a dozen lost fighters.

"General, all the human escape pods have reached the moon. They all landed very close to that mining facility." said Sensors.

Desolas pushed his anger down, that was for later. First things first. "We will deal with them later. I want a flock of drones on that cruiser right now. Make sure there are no working security systems inside it, then give me a full mapping of the interior structure."

"Yes, General." answered Felix.

"If any of those frigates come within 100.000 kilometers of this place, I want them hunted down and destroyed, no half measures."

"High Commander Vakarian acknowledges, sir."

"This makes us very vulnerable, General." observed Felix. Entirely without need, in the commanding officer's opinion.

Some might think a cruiser was not worth eleven frigates, but Desolas knew better. Every one of those incapacitated frigates was another vessel he could not use to screen their fleet. It was another vessel he could not employ to scout duties. It was another vessel he could not use to conduct deep scans of the planet or raids on the surface. Without frigates, they were much less capable of responding rapidly to a surprise attack, or blocking incoming or leaving ships. And last, but not least, it was another crippled ship they would have to protect.

No, the humans had definitely won this round.

A specialist called his attention. "Drones are away, sir."

Desolas nodded. "Good." He watched as the little pinpricks of light flowed out of their exit tubes on the underside of the cruiser's wings.

The drones had not made it five kilometers from the _Justice_, though, when Sensors gave a frantic warning.

"Attention, all ships! Massive energy spike on…"

For a few seconds, a sphere of light shined brighter than the system's star where the human cruiser's carcass once floated. Every turian on the CIC had to turn their gaze for a moment, until the optical sensors could compensate for the sudden onslaught of electromagnetic radiation.

* * *

Above Shanxi, on the _Kings Mountain's_ bridge, every sailor joined Andrei Drugov as he saluted the SSV _Nairobi's_ last breath. The ship and her crew had gone above and beyond what could be expected of them. It would be remembered. As would be the many brave souls of the _Hua Dragons_ and _Great Rift Lions_' fighter pilots.

Their moment of respect done, the captain went back to his chair and opened a line to ground command. "General Williams."

"I'm here, son."

"This is all we can give you, General."

"And a mighty fine job that was, Captain. I will be honest and say I didn't expect that to work. At least not so well."

He sighed. "Me neither, sir, but they pulled it off. All thanks to your pilots."

Williams asked in a softer voice. "How many made it?"

"Only seven Dragons made it into FTL, sir. We also lost three Lions. Some were simply immobilized, not destroyed." He took a second to continue. "But I don't think many intend to let themselves be captured, General."

The flag officer was quiet for a few seconds. "No, I don't think they do."

The implications of that fact weighted heavily on them both for a minute. Eventually, Drugov turned his attention to the distant image of Zhou. "I hope the admiral and those sailors can hold it out on that moon."

"Those tunnels are a death trap to any invading force, son. And D'Amico is a tough old bastard. If anyone can keep those sailors alive until our people get here, he can."

"I really hope so. We will have to leave soon, General. We will do our best to give some trouble to these people, but from now on, this is your show, sir."

"We know, Captain. We will give them hell. Good luck, son."

"Good luck to _you_, sir. Drugov out."

* * *

The turians watched as hundreds of thousands tons of spaceship had just been turned in a large cloud of scorched fragments. The ship was gone, and with it any substantial information Desolas could have salvaged.

"High count of helium particles confirm that was a fusion detonation, General." Came the Sensors officer's voice. "They obviously rigged the cruiser's fusion plant for self-destruction."

Another specialist added. "Fortunately, all of our ships were outside of range from the heat and radiation waves. Commander Vakarian also sent her ships to shield the frigates without kinetic barriers from any fragments."

"I see…" was the general's only answer. He stood ramrod straight on his command platform. Not a plate moved, not a mandible twitched. For a minute, he looked like a statue.

Until his entire body seemed to relax. He turned to the Sensors operator and spoke in his usual pleasant voice. "Legionnaire? About that mining facility, have the humans entered it?"

The soldier in question sounded confused. "W-we don't know, sir. We will have to come much closer to detect personnel, but I believe that they are in the process of doing so."

"Thank you, legionnaire." he then turned to the Comms officer. "Specialist Neandra? Please, tell the _Merit_ to destroy the complex, if you would." it was the closest cruiser to the moon.

Every soldier in hearing range turned to stare at their General. There were more than a few slacked mandibles around. Specialist Neandra was one of those, but she dutifully relayed Desolas' orders. The man himself just waited with a stoic expression.

"Huh, sir? Commander Tulius wants to speak with you."

"Of course, Specialist. Patch him through."

A second later, the raspy voice of the _Valorous Merit_'s commanding officer came over the radio. "General Arterius, did I understood your instructions correctly? You want us to open fire on those buildings, sir?"

"That is exactly right, my friend."

One could almost fell the incredulity in the other turian's momentary silence. When he again spoke, his voice was not much better. "Sir, I do not mean to overstep my bounds, but those people down there don't have anywhere to run. I'm sure they are preparing for a ground attack, but there are various methods we could use to flush them out where they could be incapacitated and captured."

Desolas patiently explained his order, voice a little more grave. "We all saw the deviousness and commitment of these humans, Commander. They are dangerous foes that we must respect. What if this plan has not ended? What if we send legionnaires into that place and they just detonate themselves to take us out? Even just the loss of unmanned equipment is something we can hardly afford, not now. I, for one, am not prepared to risk lives, _your_ lives, on that chance." he projected all the concern he could on his last words.

The other man tried another approach. "What about information, sir? There are some high-ranking officials in there, including the human general."

"A terrible loss, indeed." he recognized. "But again, it is a risk I will not take. I am sure there are plenty more officers on the colony, and the presence of their civilians will make it much less likely for reckless actions. We also cannot let hundreds of enemy personnel behind to do as they please, hidden from our eyes. No Commander, I understand your concern and take no pleasure in this, but I am afraid they left us little choice. Naturally, I take full responsibility."

The commander still took a time to answer. "Very well, General." the hesitation was evident, though.

"Thank you for this, Tulius."

Nobody spoke as the _Valorous Merit_ went to hover over the moon's southern pole. It stopped for a moment, before aligning its bow with the human facility.

One, two, three… ten times the main gun of the cruiser flashed. Ten times, hypervelocity slugs struck the area over and around the complex. There was no barrier to protect it, no atmosphere to soften the impacts. When it was over, there was nothing left but molten red craters on the cracked ground, and floating fragments of metal and rock. Some would fall down to the moon's surface, while many would overcome the satellite's weak gravity to circle in orbit.

"_A masterful game, Rear Admiral Carlos Lucio D'Amico. __I shall not underestimate your people again. Farewell."_

* * *

"It is all over, Harry."

The wizard gave a deep sigh. He watched as the small groups of Marines and other colony officials conversed quietly amongst themselves. They had been wandering aimlessly around the cave for the last hour. Many of the soldiers had moved to the first chamber and the entrance tunnel. Most of the civilians were asleep, but enough were up and about outside their tents that Harry felt comfortable letting his masking charm go.

Even in the half-light light of the cave's 'night cycle', one could feel the restlessness in the air, a feeling of deep impotency. While there was no shortage of scared people, many of the soldiers inside the shelter were whishing with all their hearts that they could have done something, _anything_, to help their brothers and sisters on orbit. But they were stuck here, and now all they could do was to wait for the enemy to come.

Harry understood the sentiment very well.

He closed his eyes and asked his companion. "How many?"

She took a moment to answer. Not because she was making any calculations, of course, but because she knew how much these things affected him.

"Between the remaining crew of the cruiser and the fighter pilots…. I believe about two hundred and fifty soldiers."

It was like being punched. That childhood feeling of inadequacy that he knew would always lie within him rose like bile from his stomach. He beat it back quickly, many years of experience, maturity and friendship reminding him that it was not his fault, that he was not a god and could not be expected to save everyone, even with all his powers. Especially in outer space, away from all the magical energy of Shanxi.

He could still taste the acid burning in his throat, though.

"Harry?" came a small voice.

He opened his eyes and turned to the entrance flap of the tent. Samesh was there, blinking owlishly at him.

"Hullo, Sam." he said softly.

The sleep was rapidly leaving the boy's eyes, and he was now looking in confusion at all the people moving about. "What's happening?"

Harry did not answer his question. "Are your mother and sister awake?"

He shook his head. "No, I just got up because I need to use the bathroom."

"Well, then you should go." he pointed to the facilities some distance away. He knew better than to offer to accompany the boy like some fretting parent. He had been eleven-years-old.

It seemed Samesh would not be dissuaded, though. "Why are all the soldiers awake? They seem real stiff, too."

"It's nothing, Sam. They are just making some rounds."

The boy narrowed his eyes at him. He came out completely from the tent, the flap closing behind him. He again took in all the whispering men and women around them, noticed how some even had their weapons resting in their in hands. He looked up at Harry and crossed his arms, little face defiant.

"It's the E.T.s, isn't it? They have come, and that's why everyone is being so spooked."

The wizard had to keep himself from smiling. All of the Bhatias were bright people. Sam, despite his age, was no different. He kneeled so that he could be at the same height as the lad.

"Yes, Sam, they have arrived. There was a battle in orbit and the Alliance tried very hard to keep them from making it to us, but they were outnumbered and had to retreat for a while. But don't worry, mate, the Marines won't let them come in here."

He lifted his chin even higher. "You don't have to hide the grown up stuff from me, Harry. I am not afraid of the E.T.s."

It was obvious that statement was not true. The boy's eyes were visibly scared behind the 'tough guy' act. But Harry Potter, of all people, knew the difference between fearlessness and bravery. He gave the boy a small smile.

"Sorry, mate. I know you aren't."

They were both silent for a minute. His point made, Samesh was now looking down at his feet, left one kicking lightly at the stone floor. Harry just waited.

Finally the boy spoke, still looking to the ground. "You are going to fight them, won't you?"

"Most likely, yes." he said simply. There was no point in denying it.

"You will beat the shit out of them."

Harry let out a small laugh. "Don't let your mother hear you talking like that. And how can you be sure I will beat them? They could be all three meters tall and made of pure muscle."

"It doesn't matter." he shook his head furiously. "You are the toughest guy on the planet, tougher than any of the Marines." then he raised his head and looked at Harry straight in the eyes. "I know you won't let them hurt mother or Lucretia."

The fierceness in that young gaze took the wizard by surprise. It was not just the innocent conviction in his dark eyes, there was something else. What the eleven-years-old said was not just an affirmation, or a plea, it was a declaration. Samesh was _telling_ him that he could beat the invaders, that he could keep them safe. He believed it, and he wanted Harry to believe it, too.

It was childishly selfish of the kid. But Harry felt humbled, all the same.

"I will." he said. There was really nothing else to it. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder and felt the boy relax a little. "And when I'm away, you will have to protect your family in my stead, all right?"

"I will." he echoed the wizard. "If any ugly alien comes in here, I will bite them to death. No wait, that would be gross. I will kick them to death."

Harry patted his shoulder and got up. "I know you will, mate. But first, you will listen to your mother and sister, and do everything they tell you to do. Understood, lad?" He made sure to give the boy a proper stern look.

"All right."

"No, nothing of that. Give me your man's word." he took out his hand for the boy. Sam hesitated for just a moment before shaking it, solemn look on his face.

"I promise."

"That's a good lad. Now go on, you must be close to bursting."

His eyes widened, as if Harry's words had suddenly reactivated his urge. "I am!" then the kid hurried off to the communal privies.

"Good kid." said Astrid.

"Very good."

"So, what will you do?"

Harry was in the same situation as the Marines. He had laid down his ground work, and now had to wait and see what the enemy would do. Unlike the soldiers, though, he had his own ideas about how to end this conflict. It was the reason why most of the spellwork he put around the colony was defensive in nature. Despite everything, the unprovoked attacks and all the deaths, the cowardly display after the battle, he was not ready to write the new species as some faceless, emotionless murderers.

That bloke Desolas was a sanctimonious little wanker. All that smooth and logical talk might fool others, but Harry had listened to enough of Voldemort's speeches to recognize a closet tyrant when he heard one. But these turians were an entire culture, an entire civilization, and if there was anything he learned in the magical world, it was that rarely a species, or even a single group, was made up only of good or bad people.

If they insisted on 'pacifying' the humans by force, the Alliance would have no choice but to fight back. And he would help protect them to the best of his ability. But he had access to other resources, and there was more than one way to win a war. It would all depend on what he learned in the coming days.

"We still have to see if these people have magic, girl. If they do, I guess we will see who the best spellcaster in town is."

"And if they don't?"

He let out a cold smirk. "In that case, you know what they say: 'don't meddle in the affairs of wizards…'"

His companion let out a snort. "Well, normally I would warn you about getting a big head, Gandalf. But in this case, I will let it slide. So, time to gear up?"

"Time to gear up." he agreed.

* * *

ANs:

I think it's better that I stop giving you guys predictions on dates for the next chapter. I never seem able to keep them.

Anyway, here it is. The first battle for Shanxi is over. I honestly don't know if it came out all right and not a complete fallacy. You will be the judge of that.

If anyone wonders, the title of this chapter, as well as the battle itself, was inspired by the fourth installment of the Ace Combat series, in which case all due credit goes to Namco.

As a curiosity, most of the battle was written while listening to the Tron: Legacy soundtrack. While I found the movie a little half-hearted, the OST is fantastic, and I think some of the tracks make for awesome space battle music. The last third of the chapter was written under the repeated loop of David Bowie's _Space Oddity_. Yeah, I know.

Folk are wishing for more Harry time. It is coming now. There is nothing between the turians and Shanxi, the fighting will move to the ground, and we will finally focus more on our hero. Not completely, of course.

*Some people made suggestions about ways Harry or Astrid could have helped the Navy's fight. Keep calm, folks, you don't have all the facts. In this fic, magic is one hell of a game breaker, but it has some limitations. Though perhaps not what you may be imagining.

*An anonymous user complained about the turians being mere puppets for the Reapers. All I can say to that is: they aren't? Regardless of what happened in the distant past, modern turians are no more puppets of the Reapers because of Desolas, than humanity is because of the Illusive Man in ME 1, 2 and 3.

Hope to see you next time. All I will say about timelines is that it will be out as soon as possible, and that I just can't write on weekdays. So, if I miss a weekend, it will probably only come on the next one.

In the next chapter, the turians get their first taste of magic.


	6. Chapter 5: Hidden Dangers

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

Update - 2015.04.07: made an important change to the very last scene of the chapter. Anyone who read it already should check it out. First-timers won't find anything amiss, for some reason.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**.**

**Hidden Dangers**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Legionnaire Patrus ran.

He gripped the _Phaeston_ assault rifle in his hands so hard, he was surprised the metal was not groaning in protest. The dry crushing of the red earth beneath his feet, and his own labored breathing, were the only sounds he heard. Everything else was deathly silence. The faint glow of the twin alien moons cast just enough light that he could see where he was going, his helmet having been lost somewhere he did not care about. Against his will, he risked a look behind him, to the distant impenetrable darkness that covered the entire forward operations base. No movement could be seen beyond the inky wall, but he knew there would not be any.

He knew the Ghost had taken all his brothers and sisters.

He kept running. There was a small marsh not two kilometers in this direction, if he could reach it, maybe he would be able to stay hidden. Here, on the open ground, he was completely exposed. But perhaps it did not mattered anyway. Did terrain even meant anything to the… creature that attacked them? Would a few plants hide him from something beyond the living world?

He did not know the answer, but it was his only hope. Running was his only hope. A turian soldier never gave his back to an enemy, they said. Never retreated without careful coordination. But turians soldiers never faced something like that thing. All his fellow legionnaires had proudly stood their ground, and now every one of them was gone.

Suddenly, a crackling voice came over from his omnitool. "…ase?! Respond Talon Base! Anyone listeni…?!"

He was startled for a moment, but hastily brought the tool to his mouth, never breaking his desperate stride. "This is Corporal Nalkan Patrus, Talon Base! _Justice, _is that you?!" he would have screamed, but that would reveal his position.

"…atrus?! Corporal, what's happe… …own there?! Where's your commanding officer?!"

"She's gone! They are all gone! The Ghost took them all!"

There was a small pause. "Take a h… …yourself, soldier! What are you talking ab…?! What attacked you?! Report!"

But Patrus was lost in memories, barely listening anymore. "The things he did, those were no fucking biotics! Our bullets did not work, nothing worked! Grenades, tech mines… Ulta had a _rocket-fucking-launcher_, but she might as well have used a sprinkler! And you know why?! It's because he isn't really here, he isn't alive!"

"Corporal, we are send… a shuttle to get you. Is the area around you safe? Any anti-airc… … nearby? Give us a secure LZ!"

That snapped the soldier's attention back, violently. "NO!" he screamed now, unconcerned if the beast would hear him. "Don't send any more soldiers to die on this place! Just tell General Desolas to take the Fleet and leave this cursed system! We should have never come here!"

"… shuttle is on its way. We have your transponder signal, just find some… …and stay hidden. ETA is ten minutes."

"AREN'T YOU LISTENING?! If you send anymore turians down here, the Ghost will just get them, too! We CAN'T hurt that thing!" the soldier had stopped running. His own life did not mattered anymore. All that mattered was keeping more legionnaires from walking into this deathtrap.

A new voice came on the radio. A voice every turian in the 16th Fleet recognized. "Legionnaire Patrus? This is General Desolas. Please calm… …elf down."

The soothing voice of his commanding officer managed to quiet the storm on his mind just enough so that he could think more clearly. He knew what had to be done. "General Arterius, sir! Listen, you have to use the _Justice's _main gun! Strike Talon Base! Maybe IT is still there. Maybe we can take it out!" he looked frantically around, watching the wide, desert plain, assault rifle at the ready. Every rock outcropping made him restrain the urge to open fire.

"Nalkan, is it not? Listen to yourself, my friend. Bombarding the base? What about your fellow soldiers?"

"They are all gone, sir." answered the man, a deep and desolate keening in his voice. "I watched them fall, one by one. I'm the only one left."

"You are in shock, legionnaire, but we will take care of you. Find some cover and stay there. We will bring you to the _Justice _and you can tell me personally what happened. Whatever attacked you, we will bring it down."

He shook his head. "You aren't listening. Soldiers can't fight it. I've just watched an entire company being wiped out. Our only hope is to…"

Patrus stopped speaking, because he had just heard the sound he had been dreading to hear for the last fifteen minutes. A very faint crack in the air, like a suppressed gun shot.

Right from behind him.

"Corporal? What is happening? Are you under attack? Just stand your ground, my friend, help is almost there."

But he wasn't listening. He let his arm fall back to his rifle. So that was it, then? It was his turn now, there was nowhere else left to hide. He took a deep breath, clenched his talons around the metal, and turned around, gun pointed straight ahead.

In the dim of the night, the only thing he saw was a vague humanoid shape, and the golden-orange eyes that would forever become a source of his nightmares, standing not ten steps from him. Before he could fire a single shot, a bright red light flashed, and he knew only darkness.

* * *

_Five days earlier._

Harry was at his new lab, which he had relocated from his habitational unit at Green 14 to a small cave on the slope of a solitary mountain surrounded by mires, roughly two hundred kilometers south of Central Settlement. The cave had actually been ready a long time ago, it had just remained mostly empty until three days before. He made a point to prepare a bolt-hole at every planet he planned to spend any extended period of time on.

So call him paranoid.

He had the place warded to hell and high water, and it would serve as his own personal base of operations for the duration of the crisis. He used magic to carve the already large space into an almost perfect rectangle. Like usual, the rock walls had a brown-red coloration, but he had made them, and the floor, smooth. Numerous little orbs of light floated near the ceiling, providing illumination. He arranged the space in two distinct areas, separated by a thin wall. The one he was currently in was dubbed the work area.

It had all his equipment; his Enchanter's Table at one side, flanked by small stockpiles of rare woods, noble metals and precious stones; a long wooden table where three golden cauldrons sat atop low fires, potions of different colors brewing merrily inside two of them; a clothes stand, from which hung many different articles. Next to the stand was a small table, upon which sat a thin black case along a much larger metallic-silver one.

There was also the heavily expanded traveler's trunk he used to carry most of his belongings. One of his original possessions, it was old-fashioned and turned heads everywhere he went, but he thought it much easier to use and secure during space travel than the backpack he tried when he first left Earth, and it matched his collector persona. He also just liked it a lot.

The space at the other side of the partition, the 'living area', was less impressive by comparison. It only had a large table with chairs, a small pantry stocked with food and water, and a handful of comfortable beds, besides which laid a cabinet filled with both normal and magical emergency medical supplies. A small area had been sectioned off and turned into a crude, but functional, bathroom.

Considering the hurry it was made in, he was very satisfied with the place. He called it The Refuge.

Astrid called it Harry's Magical Love Cave, or simply the Love Cave. She was such a child.

"So, it's time to go out to the field, then?" asked said companion.

"Yes, it is." he answered. He picked up his trusty mokeskin bag and left it open above a cupboard. He had just finished stuffing the bag with ration bars and an expanded bottle filled with Earl Grey. Harry had briefly considered putting his Everlasting Kettle in there, but Astrid's snickering had convinced him not to. He did not know what was so funny about it, he liked his tea. "If everything works as planned, the Shroud will force the turians to send people to the surface, instead of just sitting up there, hammering the colony."

He opened a cupboard and took out an assortment of objects, putting them into the bag. A lighter, a compass, a bundle of rope, a small torch, and many other gadgets. "In that case, their first target will probably be one of the outer settlements, which are not under the protection of the Shroud. So that's where I will be staking out."

"You are not actually going to be _at_ one of the settlements, will you?"

"Of course not, girl. I certainly would not put it past that general to not simply shoot the buildings from orbit, even if there isn't a single military structure in the place." he examined a Swiss Army knife, opening and closing the many tools. "Then again, they just might look like military buildings to them. Who knows what turian architecture is like?"

"Hey, just checking." her voice was back to its usual cheerfulness. It seemed she had _finally_ stopped grouching about being stuck inside a cave. "And about the alien's constructing fashion, I'm sure it can be mostly resumed to straight lines and angles. I think I know why they have metal skin; it must be so they don't kill themselves by bumping into all those sharp edges."

He snorted, then put the knife inside the bag and took it. "Anyway, there are no shortage of marshes and caves in the region where I can put up a shelter and still keep an eye out for any incoming transports." he went to the smoking cauldrons and checked the potions there. His timing had been spot on, and both were just finished. He took out the fires and just let them sit for now. He would hopefully come back a couple of hours later to bottle them up.

"You mean _I_ will keep an eye out for any transports?" she asked in a light tone.

"Oi, I will be just as vigilant as you, girl. But we organics have to sleep from time to time."

"Humpf." was her mocking retort. Seriously, she continued. "Won't anyone notice your absence at the shelter?"

"The colony officials don't exactly make roll calls every day, Astrid. The Bhatias know I will be gone and they will tell any civilian who asks that I am doing some spelunking work for Authority. I actually announced that in the tent so the Baumanns and the Flints heard it as well. If anyone finds out it's a load of codswallop, the Bhatias can just say I lied to them, too."

"What about the girl's boyfriend?"

"Elliot?" he sighed. He went to the potion's cabinet and started to put aside a selection. "Yes, that could be a problem. Letia even said he was looking for me some time ago. I will just hope the lad is too busy to investigate deeper. I know Letia doesn't like hiding the truth from him, but Elliot is a Marine through and through. He would never cover for me in this situation."

He paused in the process of deciding if he should take one more flask of Strengthening Elixir, and gave a slight frown. "I really don't like leaving them in the dark like that. I can see that Ms. Bhatia and Letia are worried, even if they know I can take care of myself. And it's amazing, really, how they just believe me when I say I will fight the turians. All they know is that I fly around looking for new planets, which hardly qualifies me to do a better job than the Marines." he decided to just take the extra flask, it would certainly not hurt.

"Yeah, right." Said Astrid with a scoff.

He frowned for real, then. "What's that supposed to mean?"

His ship explained with the tone of someone who knew an inside joke. "You don't really pay attention to the stories you tell, do you? You talk about saving an old man from being mugged by a gang on Earth, or kicking a trained soldier's ass in a bar on Terra Nova, or rescuing a damaged freighter from crashing down on a moon of Borr, all as if it were stuff normal people did every day. You have all that 'knightly' vibe going and don't even realize it."

He went to interrupt, but she just kept going, tone much more serious this time. "You keep telling me that those three are some of the smartest people you know. Well, you should remember that. You are a guy who has stood up against evil in one shape or another for your entire life, be it abusive relatives, school bullies or self-entitled dark lords. You also underwent the wizarding world's version of elite police training. You can't hide all that behind the eccentric explorer, people notice it. Do you remember the application process for the Voyager license at Demeter? All the physical and psychological evaluations? Do you remember how four different Navy officers tried to convince you to enlist? They made a special notation on your file."

She quoted. _"Excellent fitness. High intelligence and learning capacity. Superb stress resistance, tactical thinking and situational awareness. Exceptional leadership qualities. If subject ever joins the Navy, recommended fast-tracking to the ICT program."_

Harry did not knew exactly what to say. When she was not being a joker, or trying to wind him up, Astrid was never derisive or mocking of his abilities. But she was also not in the habit of singing his praises like that. In the end, he just asked. "ICT program?"

"Interplanetary Combatives Training." she answered. "The Navy's new premier special forces program. I think they nicknamed it 'N-School'. It was just being planned back then, but the first class was supposed to begin training this year. We will likely see the first trainees or graduates in the reinforcements the Alliance will send."

"I see…" he shook his head and put most of the separated flasks in the bag, but left a few at the table.

It seemed Astrid was not finished, though. "As for the Bhatias, that family loves you. Ever since you rescued the kid when he fell down into that cave, you can practically do no wrong in their eyes. Honestly, for the way you guys behave around each other, you should just marry the lady and adopt the kids already."

_That_made him almost drop the flask he was holding. Forgetting for a moment that the glass had been spelled to be unbreakable, he scrambled to catch it before it could reach the ground. "W-what?"

"Oh, please, the boy already sees you as his personal hero. The girl let you give the 'father talk' to her boyfriend without a single complaint. And the mother-bear allows her children to be alone at a single man's house and trusts you completely to look after them."

"All right, look. I admit that the Bhatias may treat me like more than just a friend, but you are exaggerating here. Ms. Bhatia at least has never given any indication she might fancy me that way."

The retort was immediate. "And is that because she isn't interested, or because she is sharp enough to recognize you still carry a torch for an old love, and doesn't want to intrude on your privacy?"

He had to take a moment to consider a counter-argument, but realized there was no fault in her logic. So he went for a different track. "Even so, _I_have never thought about Ms. Bhatia like that." he said firmly.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

And he was throw off again. "What? I don't… of course she is."

"Like a grown up version of that chick you went out during Hogwarts, Parvati? You told me you found her pretty."

"Well, yes. But that was just once. I was a boy, made an arse of myself, and nothing ever came out of it."

"And isn't she smart?" she continued, ignoring the rest of his answer. "And loyal, and dedicated, and strong, and funny?"

"Yes, Astrid, to all of that. What's your point?"

"Well, there you go!" she finished brightly. "You are thinking about her 'like that', now."

"I…" he stopped his answer and realized she was right. He shook his head and let out a grunt. "You are evil. You know that, right?"

"Thank you, I try." she answered in a fake humble tone.

He closed his now fully packed bag and put it above a table. With a little more effort than he would have liked, he pushed aside the thoughts Astrid put in his head for later. "Are we done discussing my bloody love life? Or lack thereof?"

"For the moment. But I reserve the right to bring it up again when it is convenient."

"Can't wait for it." he said in his most sarcastic voice.

He went to the stand and paused for just a moment. It had been what, two years since he last wore his Master Auror battle uniform? Yes, that sounded about right. The last time was when he had to break into that helium-3 refining station orbiting Zion, which had been captured by pirates, something that was still very rare in human space. The Alliance never could determine how the station was liberated. The pirate's claims that they had been hunted down by a phantom were largely ignored.

He started to gear up. First, he stripped to his underclothes…

"Ah, to be a fly on that wall."

"Stuff it, Astrid."

…then he put the trousers and long-sleeved shirt. After that were the black dragon-hide belt, boots, gloves and jacket, then finally the long light-brown trench coat. As each layer was added, he could feel the protective enchantments surrounding him like the walls of an invisible fortress.

Personal armor had been used by wizards and witches since they started killing each other in ancient times. Magic could make even the softest material more resistant than steel, and many fabrics and leathers from magical creatures were naturally tough, so metal armor was rarely used except for accessories.

The practice of wearing clothes spelled for protection had become increasingly less common though, as they were hard and expensive to make, as the use of physical weapons fell out of practice, and for the simple fact that an _Avada Kedavra_ would overwhelm any kind of magical defense or physical cover directly or indirectly connected to someone's body. In fact, since the use of body armor was outlawed at dueling circles in the earlier 18th century, they became culturally associated with weak spellcasters who had no confidence in their ability to defend themselves.

A self-defeating logic, if there ever was one, but that was a fault of many a tradition.

All dressed up, Harry went to the table with the two cases. He briefly took the small, black one and considered it for a while, but ultimately put it back. Then he took the large, metallic one and opened it.

The inside was lined in red velvet. Resting on the left side was an ornate silver dagger, with a golden hilt encrusted with small rubies. He took the small blade and put it into the sheath at his right boot. Then, he took the long rod at the top of the case. It was almost the length of his arm, and made almost entirely of a clear and smooth blue-tinted crystal. It went into a strap on the inside of his coat, where it would rest until needed. The last object on the case sat to the right. He passed his hand slowly over the black metallic surface, before taking the old-fashioned looking (for their current age), heavy pistol out.

When Harry first left Earth, he had no intentions of possessing a gun of any kind. He was content with just his blade and battle rod for personal defense. His first serious scuffle in outer space (coincidently, the assault on Zion's mining station) convinced him that a ranged weapon would come in handy, though. He was initially going to just use one of the new mass accelerator guns.

Astrid, bless her little bloodthirsty heart, would not have it, however. She said he was a wizard, and if a wizard needed to have a gun, it 'damn well had to be a proper, kick-ass magic gun'. A few days of applying her superhuman brain power to the task, and she soon came up with the design for the extraordinary piece of arcane weaponry in his hands. All parts considered, it was the most complex bit of enchantment work he ever made, but it surely paid off. It would never beat a wand for sheer versatility and destructive power, of course, but in terms of speed it certainly trumped straight spellcasting.

He took four of the five magazines and put them into one of his coat's pockets. For the last one, he took a quick look at the slightly glowing, golden viscous liquid within, before putting it inside the pistols' grip. He then put the gun in the holster he had added to the left side of his dragon-hide jacket.

Now wearing almost all of his gear, Harry went to the potions cabinet and took the previously ignored selection of vials, stowing them inside his other pockets. That done, he went to another table and picked up the last item of his outfit. Unlike all other pieces, this one was a very modern addition. It was a black face-mask, made to cover the head entirely. The eyes' section was empty, as it was designed to incorporate his usual amber-tinted visor. He kept the headgear in his coat too, for now.

"All right, time for the waiting game." he said.

"Just remember that I have my hands full keeping the Alliance's systems safe from the Shroud." reminded Astrid, with a slightly apologetic note. "I won't be able to hack into any computers unless they come very close to Central. Eli… _she_ was always much better at breaking and entering from a distance than me, anyway."

He chose not to comment on her last sentence. "I know, girl. Don't worry, I will be careful with any crafts they bring down."

"Of course. Well, let's hope the evil overlord don't take days to send his minions." said his ship. "I can't wait to see if turians make some kind of armored bunny when transfigured."

He chuckled softly, gave one last look around the cave to see if everything was in its place, then Disapparated with a very faint crack.

* * *

"What a damn waste."

"Commander?" came the curious voice of her First Officer.

She pointed a talon to one of the _Shadow_'s observation window, beyond which they could see the lights of the downed frigates from the 16th Fleet, being slowly towed to orbital positions around the human planet. And even further away was the moon where the human soldiers had tried to find a safe hideout. "Ten ships that will need dry-dock to fly again, one completely lost, and thirty fighters gone. One hundred and twenty-three legionnaires dead, along with probably hundreds of foreign nationals, and for what? A minor colony? A chance for the Hierarchy to drawn first blood in a war nobody needs? Spirits, this whole situation has been one mistake after the other from the start."

High Commander Mavis Vakarian was not a happy woman. She had not been a happy woman ever since she got the notice that some of her Group's frigates had destroyed an unknown species' ship on a previously unmapped system. Arriving at said system to find out one of her ships had been lost to the counter-attack of said species had not improved her mood any. Receiving Palaven Command's orders to assist a small fleet in tracking down the alien's nearest world, and proceed to subjugate it, had been the last straw.

It was official, her superiors were all idiots.

"Well, it must be said that these humans _did_ commit a very serious criminal offence by Council laws. And they did destroy one of our ships." pointed out the subordinate, reasonably.

"Oh, sure!" she turned to him and fixed her deep blue eyes on his pale yellow ones, a mocking shine to them. "A dormant Mass Relay is very dangerous because we don't know if an easily provoked species of unknown capabilities might be just waiting to come out of it and try to conquer the galaxy. But there's absolutely no problem with all but declaring war against a possible _easily provoked_ species of _unknown capabilities_ that was trying to open one."

She started to pace in front of him. "And of course it is such a _shock_ that said species just might have taken exception to having one of their ships destroyed, and came back to confront their attackers." she shook her head. Hear heart went out to the _Occram's_ crew, it truly did. She knew the frigate's commanding staff personally, and every single one of those legionnaires had been a valued subordinate. She was saddened and angry to learn about their deaths, but those feelings had not clouded her judgment. They were in a First Contact scenario, and they had already made all the worst first impressions. The humans had not tried to attack the _Occram_ at first sight, they tried to communicate with them. When the _Shadow_ arrived, they fled before she could try to reestablish contact.

Mavis had given the commander in charge of the detachment a serious dressing down, both for his first decision to attack and his later decision to ignore the alien's hails and try to force their way out. The man seemed to understand just how badly he had blundered, but he owned up to his decisions, good or bad. If nothing else, she could respect that.

The past could not be changed anyway, they could only try to fix things. So she sent her report to Palaven Command, along with her recommendations on cautious diplomatic actions. Command's response had made her restrain the urge to bang her head against the CIC's holo-table. "This…" Mavis opened her arms in a gesture made to encompass everything around them. "…is a completely unnecessary escalation of hostilities." she concluded, emphatically.

The First Officer put his hands up in surrender. "All right. I understand, and I agree. But Command is incensed about the apparent challenge, and they have reason to believe the humans will not be hard to bring to heel. They are seeing this as a police action against a foolish and underdeveloped new race."

"And what if this Systems Alliance is only the poor cousin of a giant galactic empire, Adrien?" she countered, arms crossed. "What if the ships we faced are from an old generation, ready to be decommissioned? What if they have terrible weapons they would only be willing to use against a threat like us? And in the end, it doesn't matter the size or strength of their military, that isn't the point. The point is that we have been at this game for a long time and _we should know better_. What do you think will happen when the Council learns of this? And they _will_ find out about it sooner or later, the STGs or some Spectre will make sure of that."

He nodded, understanding her line of thinking. "Things are still in the small scale for now. The 16th Fleet is small enough that they can vanish for a month or two without raising suspicions, but that could change at any moment." it was an unspoken truth that all three Council Races kept a very keen eye on each other's respective movements. Of course, they presented a united front to the galaxy, and the feeling of alliance and cooperation _was _mostly genuine. But they also knew that they kept each other in check, and watched closely for what they judged as excesses. "The salarians might agree with the principle, but will rebuke us harshly for such a direct approach. And Thessia will raise a horrible fuss."

"And they would be right to do so. Frankly, this is a very bad time for the Hierarchy to decide to relieve their frustrations with the batarians or the Terminus Systems."

"You think that is what this is?" he asked, in mild surprise. He apparently had not considered that before.

"Isn't it?" she challenged. "Think about it; we are supposed to be the guardians of the galaxy, to keep people safe from all threats. And yet almost half of known space is filled with criminals we can do nothing about. There is also an entire nation governed by slavers that we have to just smile and wave at. So there comes along a new species. One who we find in the middle of questionable actions, one who responds to aggressiveness with more aggressiveness. It's easy to label them as wild children who need a good spanking before they can be taught as proper adults, and it gives Command a chance to flex their muscles and believe they are _doing _something."

The man concluded for her. "Except that we may have bitten more than we can chew. And even if not, there comes a point were punishment just turns into plain torture."

She let out a mirthless laugh, and went once again to the windows. Her silvery plates and dark blue marks reflected back at her. "You ask me, that point came and went. We would never tolerate one of our colonies becoming occupied; only arrogance would make Command believe anyone else would." she took a deep breath. "I don't know what was said in that first meeting with the human general, but I'm certain we had a golden opportunity for a peaceful resolution, and lost it."

All Arterius had told her about the meeting was that the human leader was unwilling to accept his reasonable terms. She had a good idea what the general's 'reasonable terms' had been.

"I _am_ curious as to why General Arterius has not made the recording available to us." he came to stand with her, but kept a respectful step behind. The man's own dark plates were contracted in a frown, his stark white markings in clear evidence. "It is his right, of course, but there is little sense in the move. Unless he wanted to make sure you would not try to interfere somehow, or maybe he just wants to present his report to Command in the best light possible." he pondered, head tilted in contemplation.

Mavis suppressed a smile. Lieutenant Adrien Victus was a bright young turian, who was developing into a fine leader. And just a few months ago, he would never have dared to question a superior's motives so openly. When she first got the man into her service, she could see right away that Adrien had a cunning and imagination that were uncommon in her kind. But all of it had been buried under years of the strict turian military indoctrination. So of course she did her best to bring it out.

It was clear her own… uniqueness had rubbed off on the Lieutenant. Some of the more conservative officers often said she had a corrupting influence on those she commanded. She was not sorry in the slightest.

Mavis scoffed. "I have made my opinions on _that_ man clear enough, I believe."

He nodded, face grave. "You have, Commander. And I admit that everything I've seen until now give me no reasons to doubt your words." he looked to the distant natural satellite, a distasteful flanging in his voice. "That attack on the retreating human soldiers was beyond justification. It would have been acceptable against confirmed belligerents posing a clear threat to equipment or personnel, but against a beaten foe? It would have been better to just let them starve on that moon."

The superior officer nodded. It was not about the loss of lives, even if that still mattered to Mavis, personally. It was the method. Turians were known for their overwhelming tactics. They were famous for ruthless campaigns designed to leave an enemy utterly broken, so as to prevent any chance of retaliation. But there were still limits, lines that should not be carelessly crossed. Arterius had crossed a line after the battle, and she could only think it had been done out of spite.

Victus looked at her. "What will you do, Commander?"

She sighed. "What _can_ I do, Adrien? I have to answer to Arterius until second order. We will keep watch over our ships and patrol the perimeter. I will keep a close eye on his actions and write the most comprehensive report I can to Command. And I will pray to the Spirits that when the humans return, we can find some way to dialogue. I have little hope of it happening as long as that man is in charge, though."

He nodded, and lifted an inquisitive brow plate. "You know what I'm wondering right now? Why has the General not started shooting at the colony, yet?"

"You and me both, Adrien." and that was another thing. Arterius had opted for a kinetic bombardment of the human planet, even when such an action was forbidden against a garden world by Council law. Sure, there was an exception when the target was a hostile world, which _technically _made this legal, but that was yet another case of her people ignoring the spirit of a law to concentrate only on the letter of it.

At least this time there was a more acceptable reason. The general had argued that, as they did not knew if or when the humans might send reinforcements, it would be better to commit the least possible number of equipment and legionnaires to a ground campaign. In the remote chance, in Arterius opinion, that the aliens send a force greater than their own to liberate the planet, compelling them to retreat from the system, the faster they could recall their troops, the better. Mavis could find no fault with the logic, so had grudgingly kept her peace about the strategy.

"It has been over a day, now." continued Adrien. "Even if the humans only possess a single settlement, they should have found it already. And I think they _have _found it, or else the cruisers wouldn't be packed together like that. So why has the general not made any move?"

"And of course, he is keeping us in the dark about _that_, too." she scoffed. As her subordinate said, it was his right, but there was little reason to withhold information like that. Unless it was so that Command would hear only his account of the events. Mavis had never felt completely comfortable around the man when they served together, some gut instinct warning her about his over-polite mannerisms and friendly attitude. When he started to spout thinly-veiled supremacist propaganda to her, she knew those instincts were founded.

"_Of all the generals in the Legions to command this intervention, it had to be this one."_ she thought ruefully, as both officers kept watching the occasional shuttle coming and leaving the damaged frigates from the three cruisers in high orbit over the red planet. _"Frankly, one of the old warmongers would have been better. At least they would have been honest about wanting to destroy the humans."_

* * *

Mavis Vakarian would perhaps be surprised if she knew, but destroying the humans was currently to farthest thing from Desolas Arterius' mind. In fact, he was deeply regretting his previous decision to wipe out the defeated human soldiers. He could use a few prisoners right about now.

"Drone is a hundred meters from the target." came the operator's voice.

Commander Felix shook his head. "Let's hope it works, this time."

"Indeed." was the general's only answer.

"Twenty meters. Ten meters. Five… contact! The drone has passed the event horizon. All communications lost."

"As expected. Now we can only see if it comes back."

They all waited in tense silence, every turian on the _Penitent Justice_'s CIC watched the screen which seconds ago displayed the video feed of their recon UAV. Now it was completely black.

Half a minute later, the operator spoke again, reluctance clear in his voice. "The V.I. should have brought the drone back by now, General."

"I know, soldier. It seems we have met with failure one more time. It is no fault of your own, you did well."

"Thank you, General."

Desolas turned to Comms. "Tell the shuttle to return, please, Specialist."

"Yes, sir."

"What kind of Void-cursed technology is THAT?" Felix screamed in frustration, for what was probably the tenth time.

The First Officer's words echoed the thoughts of almost every turian on the commanding staffs of the three cruisers from the 16th Fleet. For almost a day, they had been desperately trying to understand just what kind of artifice the humans had used to cause the unbelievable effect their sensors and eyes were registering right then. This was beyond anything they had ever encountered, and it came as a shocking surprise. To think many believed they had gotten the measure of human technology already.

They were once again proved wrong.

It had all begun simply enough. After making sure the facility on the inner moon had been completely destroyed, Desolas ordered the 53rd to move against the remaining enemy frigates one more time, while he had his cruisers keep guard over his downed vessels. This time, the human ships had not bothered pretending to fight and just left the planet's vicinity.

The general knew trying to defend the crippled ships would just be a waste of time and effort, so he had most of the frigates' crews distributed amongst his cruisers, along with their supplies and equipment. As for the vessels themselves, they were useless in a space combat capacity, but could still assist in other roles. Though they had no main engines, they still had maneuvering thrusters and thus could sustain stable orbits, once put there. With that in mind, he planned to have the frigates towed to orbits around the human planet, where they could act as powerful reconnaissance platforms and even use their main guns (those that still had them) to strike at targets on the surface. Only a skeleton crew would be needed for that, and all those remaining legionnaires understood the terribly vulnerable position they would be in if any surprise attacks came, but accepted the risks without complaint.

But first, they had to make sure there weren't any orbital-range artillery emplacements on that world. With Vakarian's group keeping a wide patrol around the planet, the _Exalted Lance_ was sent to make a preliminary scan, using their own sensors and releasing reconnaissance drones and survey probes. The ship kept a high enough orbit as to easily dodge any possible attacks, while the small unmanned crafts went into low altitude. With the quality of their sensory suits, the turians expected to have any non-concealed settlements found in a day.

Actually, it had taken no more than half an hour for them to find the first sign of human presence. It was very hard to miss, really.

"Lieutenant, any new conclusions?" asked Felix impatiently from the officer in charge of their sensors.

The woman shook her head, mandibles spread in dismay. "Commander, right now the only thing we can be reasonably sure of is that it is not a solid object or even some kind of energy field. The visual effect we see is the result of the exclusive reflection of short wavelength visible light, even if horribly distorted. All remaining radiation is impeded somehow. Whether it is being absorbed before passing the boundary, or if is being kept from reflecting back to us after reaching the surface, is unknown."

She then pointed to the screen once again showing the overhead view of the area. "And of course, that means no transmissions of any kind can be sent or received through the event horizon."

They had now run countless scans of a region on the planet's northern hemisphere, just a little above the equatorial belt. It was a series of extensive plateaus interspersed by rivers and narrow plains. Until now, they had counted seventeen individual settlements of varying sizes on that region. A few more had been found in other locations, but went largely ignored. Almost all of their attention was centered on the absurd phenomena the covered a good portion of one plateau.

A giant translucent purple dome more than thirty kilometers in diameter, and approximately a kilometer in height.

Though 'translucent' was a relative term. While the dome was not opaque, everything inside it was just a colored, indistinguishable haze.

When the sensors operators first received the readings, they immediately assumed an equipment malfunction on the drone. When the second drone arrived and reported the exact same image, they were baffled. When the _Lance _got into position above the area and confirmed both readings, the commanding staff of the _Justice_ went silent for a few seconds, before exploding into activity.

Their scans found no trace of movement or even energy emissions on the small settlements. They had apparently been completely evacuated and their support systems turned off, though they had found signs of frantic recent activity: ground vehicle tracks and lingering emissions from aircrafts. They knew most of the structures were composite prefab units stacked together to form larger buildings. There were plenty of sectioned fields presumably for agricultural purposes. No apparent military installations where identified as of yet, there were no batteries of any kind they could see. All of this they could easily read from up in orbit.

But no scanning array could penetrate the area covered by the dome. Even after bringing both additional cruisers, no more information could be gained. They used every single piece of equipment they had, for naught. In fact, the dome could only be seen in the visible spectrum. In all other readings, it appeared as a black void over the otherwise red surface. One fact was clear, though: whatever that _thing_ was, it was concealing the humans from all outside observation. Every probe they sent stopped transmitting the moment it passed through the dome's edge.

Specialists in all the ships had been furiously debating over how the effect worked and how, in the name of the Spirits, it was being created, and the general left them to it. He did not join the discussion, because he had a terrible feeling he knew _exactly_ what that effect was. He had seen something very similar not even two weeks before, on a rogue moon thousands of light-years away.

When he first got the reports, he demanded in an unusually sharp way to see the images for himself. After spending one minute looking at them in total silence, legionnaires watching him avidly, he ordered all ships to keep their positions and do nothing. Them he left the _Justice's _CIC and went with all the hurry protocol allowed to his cabin, where he immediately sent a private transmission to the _Serarth_. Due to lag, he had to wait almost two hours for the frigate's response. Lieutenant Abrudas somewhat confused assurance that the Arca Monolith was still safely stored in the ship's cargo hold, and that Specialist Aetius' evolved form still kept silent guard over it, calmed Desolas' fears somewhat, but still left the question of what that dome meant.

Suddenly, what was meant to be a bothersome military action, a highly unwelcome diversion from his plans, had become a matter of gravest concern for him. Had these humans developed a power similar to his distant ancestors? Had they stumbled on another of the Titan's artefacts? Or was that something altogether different? A strange coincidence?

Desolas had scoffed at the though. He did not believed in coincidences.

The First Officer shook his head, before turning to his superior. "How should we proceed, General?"

"_How should we proceed, indeed."_ thought Desolas. Suffice to say, the dome's presence had shattered his previous plans of simply bombarding the human facilities. They did not had any target to aim at. He _could _pulverize the entire region with mass drivers, or asteroids, or even bombs. But destroying the alien's military infrastructure was no longer his priority, he wanted to find out how they were able to replicate the Monolith's powers like that.

The Sensors officer interjected. "Sir, there's nothing else we can do from out here. We have to send something or someone inside the event horizon."

"It's risky." pointed out Felix. "Our drone was most likely taken out by some kind of AA defense grid, and instantly as well. A land-based mass accelerator or a powerful enough laser turret could strike from any point inside of that area, and we would not be able to dodge at that distance." he made a dismissive gesture with his arm. "A shuttle could suffer the same fate. Even one of Vakarian's frigates would be at too much risk. No, a ground approach is now our only option, and even that is a chance."

"Agreed." said the general. "We need information, soldiers. We have to suppose that barrier is only one-way, and that means our human friends can track our movements all the way to the edge. Even a ground team could be just greeted with heavy-weapons." he pointed to one of the human settlements surrounding the concealed area. "We need to see if we can find any data about that defense in their little villages."

Felix punched the edge of the holo-table lightly in frustration. "This mission just became a lot more complicated."

"It cannot be helped, Commander. It is now more important than ever that we find all possible information about these people. This kind of technology bears an explanation. Palaven Command will want to know."

HE wanted to know.

"Yes, General." nodded the other man. "How should we start?"

Desolas had a burning desire to personally go down to that planet and look at the dome himself, all risks be damned. But there would be no justification for the turian in charge of the whole fleet to take point like that. With an internal sigh, he brought the other settlements in closer view on the table. "First, I want all frigates and cruisers to keep an uninterrupted vigil over the rest of the planet. This could be only a distraction. Then, we will need to secure a position…"

* * *

"What are those fucking birds playing at?" wondered General Williams aloud.

"Your guess is as good as mine, sir." answered Lieutenant Brody. They were both looking at the hazy images from one of the sensor arrays positioned in Outer Settlement 09. It showed the many transports bringing down aliens and material from the ships in orbit to a location some way from the village. It was a low but wide hill, which would give the turians a decent overwatch of the entire region. Unfortunately, they could not get an image of the alien camp. Every single satellite in orbit had been found and destroyed, there were not that many to begin with, anyway. The where also no mountains or other elevations within the horizon line from the place.

Still, by their best estimates, the aliens must have moved at least a hundred personnel in there, along with a lot of equipment and definitely two heavily-armored vehicles. It might not look like much, compared to the forces the Alliance had at its disposal, but they could never forget that the turians had orbital superiority over the planet. Laser AA turrets could take out any flying craft they sent for a raid, and sending one risked revealing its take-off location anyway, if not on the way out than certainly on the way back. Any sufficiently large ground force would be detected and blasted into oblivion by the cruisers before coming anywhere close. The only way to ensure they would not get a hypersonic ferromagnetic slug on their heads was if they were engaging the enemy in close quarters. So that meant either inserting a covert small team inside it, or letting the birds attack first.

It was a hard but simple truth. In these modern times, surface warfare was impossible without naval support, unless both parties were deprived of it.

"Why such a drastic change in strategy? Their ships have orbited above Central hundreds of times. There are fourteen different probes buried in the city. The old headquarters are completely exposed." the young officer shook his head. "For three days we have waited for those cruisers to start raining fire down on the city, and now they decide to establish a base?"

Williams grunted. "How should I know what passes inside those metal skulls of theirs? At least that camp is not close to any of the civilian shelters." he turned to one of the operators. "What about that teams we sent?"

"They still have a long way to go, sir." responded the man. "They are using any cover they can, so they are moving at a snail's pace. We expect it will be three days before they arrive in position."

When the turians began setting up their base, Williams had ordered two squads to move close and establish positions. Unfortunately, they would have to cover the distance by foot, and move very carefully. A small squad could avoid orbital detection, and a single vehicle probably could as well, but it was not a risk he was willing to take right now. It was unfortunate that they could not have left covert teams in the Outer Settlements before the invaders arrived, but they were stretched too thinly and had to keep their forces close.

"Just keep me posted, son."

"Aye, aye, General."

"I must say, I'm not very impressed with the quality of their hardware." said a warrant officer. "That drone two days ago just dropped dead from the sky."

"I still say it's a trap." affirmed Williams. It was the reason he had not sent anyone to investigate the crash site.

* * *

"Listen, legionnaires, our mission is simple." The sergeant brought up an image of the human settlement on the transport's screen, a collection of eighteen buildings arrange around a central square. "Our drones have swept over the settlement, and found no sign of enemy forces or traps. But don't ever let your guard down! Once we arrive, each team will go to their designated areas and conduct a thorough search. You know what to look for. Any digital device will be packed, along with anything containing text. Books, letters, even a damned card, I don't care."

She walked closer, looking over the small platoon. Counting herself, there were sixteen soldiers. They would be divided into three fire teams, plus the four-man team that would remain behind to guard their shuttle.

They were one of three such groups, the others having been sent to their own settlements. They would investigate each one of the human urban areas, getting progressively closer to that freakish dead-sensor zone, which was thankfully hidden beneath the horizon. Every soldier was unnerved by the sight, even if no one talked about it.

"Keep radio contact at all times." she reminded. "If you find any resistance, fall back and regroup with the others. Let's take no unnecessary risks here, we still don't know what kind of small arms these people have. We can't just assume they will be inferior to our own."

"We will be careful, Sergeant." said one of the team leaders. "But I, for one, am just happy we will finally start working."

There were nods of agreement everywhere. After over two days of setting up Talon Base, everyone was eager to get this occupation moving. While the ground forces investigated the settlements, their ships and drones scoured the countryside for concealed hideouts. They also kept a close watch for anything leaving the dome. Until now, they had not found anything.

"I am too, Corporal." nodded the sergeant. "But let's take this slow. Remember the space battle, these aliens are crafty. In the end, though, it won't matter. Turian discipline and firepower will win, like it always does."

A chorus of 'yes, ma'am' sounded. And right after, the pilot informed them they had arrived. The sergeant put her helmet on, followed by all others. Soon, they felt the transport touching ground. "All right, soldiers! Move out!"

* * *

Shanxi's long twilight painted the sky red to match its ground. Sitting down on the roof of a building in Outer 11, a disilusioned Harry Potter twirled his holly wand in his fingers and watched as the turian soldiers left their shuttle to spread out in teams of fours, guns at the ready. Each one went to a different prefab. Three soldiers stood guard around the vehicle, while another manned a machine gun placed on its side. Like always, they moved in a manner that was almost robotic in its precision. These people brought the word 'organized' to an entirely new level. He thought that human militaries were disciplined, but the turians went way beyond the curve.

He was familiar with the sight by now. For the last two days he had observed them quietly while they established their forward base. He had spent many hours visiting the place, invisible, just watching the men and women move about doing their duties. Translation charms and supersensory spells allowed him to learn many things, three of which had been most important in his mind. The first was that the Shroud had done its job. The turian leaders were totally stymied, unsure in how to proceed. Instead of immediately beginning their kinetic bombardments of human structures, they were now forced to approach this much more slowly. It not only allowed him more time to learn things before the shooting started, but every day spent in preparation was one less day the it would take before the Alliance fleets arrived. He never believed the invaders would have spent a whole month gawking at the Shroud, of course, but even these five days of delay would hopefully limit final casualties on both sides.

The second thing he had learned was what he suspected from the beginning. These people were just as human as… well, humans. Though far less than what you would see in a human unit, the turian soldiers still talked a lot at their base. They joked, laughed, traded insults and took verbal shots at their enemies. There was a lot of very racist commentary, but that was only natural. His people's mood was no different.

He had heard many stories about husbands, wives and children. Yesterday, a female boasted proudly to her colleagues about how her son had just finished school at the top of his class. She could not wait to meet him again, having spent more than a year away from her colony on tour. Harry was not naïve; he knew that woman would not hesitate to kill an enemy soldier, and probably a civilian, too. Perhaps even a human boy the same age as her son. But it reaffirmed his conviction that he should not just plant a bomb in the middle of their base and blow them all up to hell. He just was not built like that.

He still planned to take the base out. It should send the turians into another funk, and hopefully buy Shanxi more time. But he could do that without killing every soul on the place.

The last thing was that he had found absolutely no signs of magical usage or knowledge, until now. That was both a great relief, and a terrible disappointment. But there was still much to learn and, after all, if the turians had a magical society, it could be just as hidden from mundane folk as his own had been. The lack of real magic aside, there were some very interesting technologies displayed here that almost seemed like it.

"Those omnitools are amazing!" said Astrid in his radio. She had been enamored with the things since they first saw them in use, and the wizard had to agree they were handy little gadgets. One of the soldiers was currently using theirs to force open a prefab's door just below him. The 'omni' part was very apt, as the devices could perform an incredibly diverse set of tasks, from scanning to constructing small objects, or even shooting fire! How they could cram so many things into such a small piece of hardware was beyond him. And every soldier had one.

"They sure are. But I think it's their shields that will give the Marines more trouble." he said.

"Oh, that's incredible, too. The Alliance is still years away from making Mass Effect emitters small enough to produce personal kinetic barriers. Not to mention a power source compact enough to juice the thing up."

"Indeed. It's a good thing shields are useless against almost every spell. And many can bypass armors, too."

"Yeah." she agreed. They both watched as the soldiers got the door open and fanned inside the building. When both other teams did the same, Harry got up from the ledge he had been sitting on, and gave a small sigh.

"All right, let's get this show started."

Harry could sense a feeling of anticipation from deep inside of him. He fished a specific bottle out from his pocket. It was a round flask, filled with a smoky black liquid. He took his wand and made a wide circle over his head with the focus, before intoning _"Máquina Silenciosa", _and smashing the flask against the ground. Black smoke spilled from the prefab's roof in a furious torrent. Soon, it had encompassed the whole area.

* * *

"Clear!" said the first soldier to enter the human building, breaking to the left.

"Clear!" echoed the second, who had went to the right.

The house was deserted, as expected. They were in what appeared to be a living room, a large seat facing a screen. There were many objects strew about, some familiar and some alien. To the left, a corridor led to some doors, bedrooms most likely, while to the right there was a kitchen. Human aesthetics were very different from turian's, but at least they seemed to build their homes in similar configurations.

The team's corporal spoke. "Okay, soldiers. You two, check those rooms. Feyreen, with me. Let's start to sweep. Remember to alternate your viewing modes and record everything. Move."

"Yes, sir." they all said. The corporal and the other soldier began opening drawers and cabinet doors.

They had barely started when the light coming in from the windows just vanished, throwing the room in darkness and startling all of them. Seconds later, a horrible, strident noise sounded in all of their ears, like very loud static. Everyone let out surprised cries and looked around in alarm, weapons raised, before they realized the sound was actually coming from their radios. They all tried to turn off the things, but before they could, the speakers suddenly went dead. Instead of loud noise, there was now total silence. Without radios, they could not communicate, or even hear outside sounds with their hermetically sealed helmets on.

The corporal was the first to push the button at the side of his headgear, opening the faceplate, and turning on the flashlight on his weapon. All others following suit, and one of them asked. "What was that?!"

"Some kind of electronic countermeasure, most likely!" answered the corporal. He looked somewhat anxious at the blackness outside the windows. "We have been compromised, everyone back to the transport, now! Close your helmets again, we will communicate with hand signs."

All the turians did as told, and the team leader went to the exit. But before he could reach it, the door suddenly slammed shut. Everybody froze.

The building had no power, their readings made that clear. The electronic door _could not_ have closed by itself.

The corporal turned back to his men, and looked at the four figures watching him or the door. Even under their helmets, he could feel their perplexity, as it mirrored his own. What kind of trap was this? How should…

Wait a second, _four_ figures?

"ENEMY!" his shout went unheard, but the pointed gun got the attention of his teammates. They all turned, and raised their own rifles to the stranger who stood relaxed against the wall, unperturbed by the glaring lights on his face. He or she was dressed in some kind of brown fabric coat over black clothes, and a black face mask with an amber visor concealed all facial features, but the body shape was unmistakably human. The corporal was uncertain. Should he just open fire, or try to question to alien? How had he remained hidden all this time? Because he surely could not have entered after the soldiers.

His decision was taken out of his hands, though. Without warning, and faster than any of them could react to, the human gave a sharp wave of his arm and the two legionnaires closest to him were violently flung against the room's walls, rifles flying from their hands. The two other soldiers immediately opened fire, while the word 'BIOTICS' screamed itself in the corporal's head. The human, in another shown of unnatural agility, dodged both mass accelerator bursts, the diminutive metallic chips striking against the wall instead. It was impossible to dodge a bullet after it was shot, of course, the enemy was simply not where they aimed anymore. He closed the distance to the third soldier in a single movement, quicker than any fighter the corporal had ever seen, and touched the glowing tip of some stick that _had not been there before_ to the woman's chest. She was enveloped in a haze of red light and dropped, boneless, to the ground.

The corporal shot another burst blindly in the direction of the human's chest, while he made a jumping roll and got behind the room's wide sofa. Time slowed down, he thought he had seen two more flashes of red light, and all the while his mind raced. That initial attack _must_ have been a biotic strike of some kind, but there had not been the telltale glow of dark energy around the human, nor had the soldiers' barriers flared up. And the device he or she used to incapacitate Feyreen also met no resistance from her armor. The turian suddenly felt unarmed, even with the assault rifle in his hands.

He risked a brief look over his cover, and was once again startled to notice that the hostile had vanished. Only the three unconscious (or dead, he thought in dismay) bodies of his fellow legionnaires could be seen. Before he could consider his next move, a red shimmer coming from his left made him turn his head instinctively. Towering beside him, red light glowing from the stick not five centimeters from his head, was the human. The corporal could barely begin to ask himself how this being had seemingly teleported to stand behind his cover, when a bright flash filled his vision, followed by darkness.

* * *

"Blue Team?! Respond Blue Team! Green Team? Yellow? Damn it!" the sergeant punched the side of their transport in anger.

"It's useless ma'am." said one of her subordinates. "Every line is dead. We also lost all contact with Talon Base."

"Do we have any visual on those soldiers?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. All teams are still inside their buildings, and all doors are shut."

"I can see no more flashes coming from Blue Team's location, ma'am." said another turian. Nobody knew if that was a good or bad thing.

"Curse this! We have been set up!"

"Spirits, is this what being inside that dome feels like?" whispered the legionnaire manning the machine gun.

The pilot of the turian transport listened as the soldiers talked amongst themselves. They were all unnerved. Out from the blue, thick-black smoke had raised up from the ground all around the small settlement and formed a cover of darkness over the whole area. They could barely start to comprehend it, when they realized none of the fire teams were responding. The sergeant had immediately ordered him to be ready to flee at any second. So he had the craft geared up and hovering just above the ground. He was now using the shuttle's sensors to keep watch over the surroundings. Nothing unusual registered yet inside the dome, and none of his sensor could penetrate the outside. All soldiers were now using their night-vision.

"Sergeant, more flashes! Coming from Yellow Team's site!"

"Fuck!"

He was looking out from the cabin's small windshields and also saw red bursts coming out from the building's window. One, two, three, four crimson blasts, and everything was quiet again.

Then, a loud breaking sound came from the other direction, Green Team's location. The prefab's window exploded outwards, evidently from gunfire, and shortly after a turian jumped out of it. But he had barely come out from his forward roll, when a bright red streak came out from behind the shattered glass, and hit him squarely in the back. He dropped unceremoniously flat on his face. The flash had been much slower than a bullet, but still faster than any biotic bolt, almost too swift to keep track of. With the now open hole, gunshots could be heard clearly coming from inside the building. But just like the other two times, whatever debacle was happening inside that place was over in a matter of seconds. Soon, nothing moved on the human town.

From the time their comms went down, a little more than a single minute had passed. Twelve legionnaires had been taken out.

"Soldier down!" yelled one of his fellows.

"Do not approach! Everyone back into the transport, use the doors as cover." barked the sergeant. He heard them entering the vehicle. "Keep a lookout for attackers on the roofs. If anything that is not a turian comes out of any of those buildings, fill them with slugs!" the last part was directed at the legionnaire operating the shuttle's machine gun.

The next thirty seconds were spent in grave tension. They could not just leave, they had twelve turians out there whose fates were unknown and they still had not gotten a single glimpse of their enemy. All they knew was that they used some kind of instant-kill energy weapon that not only ignored their barriers, but also seemed to bypass physical armor.

The pilot detected a sudden movement at the edge of his vision. He turned his head to the front of his craft just in time to catch the bright blue energy bolt coming straight at it. The light washed over the shuttle, and every single one of his screens went black. A second later, an ominous groan could be heard coming from the Mass Effect drive at the back, and the vehicle dropped like a brick to the ground. Fortunately, they had been hovering only at jump height, and the crash did nothing more than rattle everyone aboard.

"SHIT!"

"Is everyone all right?! What about the shuttle?!"

"Everything is dead, Sergeant." he yelled, while frantically trying to restart the systems. "Engines, instruments, barriers, all of it! There's no power!" he turned to look at her. "It was some other kind of energy weapon, the shooter was straight ahead of us but he is gone now."

She shook her head in disbelief. When she told the soldiers they did not knew if the aliens' personal weapons could be of higher quality than the turians', she certainly had not expected this. "Grab a weapon and come here, if we can't operate the transport, we can use another gun."

He nodded, and got up from his seat. He got himself a rifle from the locker in the cabin and checked it was fully operational. In the meantime, the non-commissioned officer relayed instructions. "This thing has no barriers anymore, but still has thick armor. We can't just stay here forever, tough. When I say it, Loqun will make a run for the edge of that spirits-damned field and try to go outside. We will all cover him. When you get out, have Talon Base send help."

Everyone nodded and prepared for the run. He made one last check of the systems, still dead, and turned to join his fellows. He had not given one step towards the passenger's cabin, when he witnessed as the four turians inside were yanked out of the large doors by some invisible force, all at the same time. The moment he saw their feet leaving the metal floor, he had threw himself backwards, crashing harder than he would have liked on the console behind him.

"SERGEANT!" he screamed to them. He had knocked his head hard on the craft's windshield, and though his helmet prevented any injury, he was still dizzy for a few seconds.

"Spirits!" came a faint voice from outside. It seemed they had not been throw too far away.

"Fucking biotic Pull!" said another soldier. "What the hell is wrong with our barriers?!"

"Rorick is down! He hit the damn gun on his way out! Doesn't seem to be anything serious."

"Get into cover, now! We have to… AHEAD OF US!"

The pilot had just cleared his vision and was jumping forward when there was a bright silver flash, followed by a burst of automatic fire and followed by another, smaller, red flash. When he got to the doors and looked outside he saw, ten meters away, two turians prone on the ground and two others stumbling around as if drunk out of their minds, weapons dropped. There was no enemy in sight.

Concern for his friends overriding self-preservation, the pilot dove out of the shuttle and ran to the two standing soldiers, bringing them with him to the floor. That done, he got on his knees in front of them and scanned the area, but only the dead silence and still image of the abandoned human buildings greeted him.

Until the silence was broken by a shout, coming from somewhere to the far right of him. _"EXPULSO!"_

There was the deafening sound of an explosion, and a fiery blue-white glow came from the shuttle's direction. A powerful shockwave hit him, but his kinetic barrier flared up and he stumbled more out of surprise than actual force. He wanted to look at the hostile, he really did, but his eyes were locked on the sight of the transport. The almost _five-ton_, armored spacecraft was flung over the side like a children's toy, the hull almost ripped in two and pieces of metal flew everywhere. The shuttle crashed back to the ground and rolled once, then twice, before coming to rest upside-down on the red earth, twisted and ruined. That was more damage than any personnel-carried heavy weapon he knew could cause. Void, it was more damage than a tank could do.

For a few seconds, the sound of the distant flames was the only noise in the still air, until…

"Bloody hell! Sorry about that, mate." came the deep, clear and impossibly _flanging_ voice from behind him. He turned and brought his rifle to bear, and had just enough time to correct his aim before the alien made a sharp gesture with his hand, the sound of snapping fingers registering in his ears, before the assault rifle in his hands _broke apart _into its base componentswith a bright green smoke_. _The little pieces fell to the ground in front of him, and he could just watch in total stupefaction as he was left holding only the weapon's stock. The human kept talking, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "That took me by surprise, too. I didn't know how tough your shuttle was, so I'm afraid I may have gone kind of all out with that spell back there. Don't worry, I think all your friends are fine, their barriers held up all right."

The pilot just did not cared anymore. All his friends were down, and the enemy was mocking him. A distant part of his mind noticed the being carried no weapons beside a short stick. An even more distant part of his mind registered the fact his omnitool was not translating the human's speech. He was speaking in perfect turian, with just the slightest Cipritinean accent.

"So, not to cut this meeting short or anything, but I still have a lot to do today." he brought the stick up. "Oh, and sorry about this, but I really want to test something out and as you are the last chap here, you just volunteered. Don't worry, this shouldn't hurt one bit."

With a little twirl, a white streak came out from the thing on the alien's hand and struck him in the chest. The pilot felt the most bizarre sensation of his life, as the world seemed to grow bigger around him.

* * *

Harry's Magic was singing to him. It was happy to be fighting the good fight again, apparently. The wizard had his head tilted to the side, as he contemplated the sight before his eyes. "Well, will you look at that?"

"Yey! I knew it!" came Astrid's jubilant voice. "Look at him, so cute! He's a knight-bunny!"

Hoping around on the floor, looking as confused as a small mammal could, was a light-brow furred rabbit covered in dark-brow metal plates.

Harry shook his head. "That was probably more of a botched transfiguration than the true end-result, girl. I'm sure I can turn him into a proper rabbit with a little more practice."

"Don't you dare! He is perfect the way he is! Can we keep him? I'm gonna call him Sir Whiskerslot, the Third."

He sighed, he should not have bothered. "No, Astrid, we can't keep him. This is a sentient being, remember?" he shot another spell at the turian-bunny and it now turned into a ten-centimeter tall wooden figurine. It still had a slight metallic sheen to it, but that was all right. He summoned his mokeskin bag from the roof of the building he had been sitting on at the start.

"Spoilsport." muttered his companion, sullenly. Harry just ignored her and checked if the guy was still alive inside there. Getting a positive result, he then went around doing the same thing to the other downed soldiers, after performing a brief diagnostic charm on each. Fortunately, he did not need to have any knowledge of turian physiology for the healer's spell to confirm they were all right. Actually healing them might be a different matter, of course.

"So, that's one done and two more to go. If the briefing we watched follows through, the second group must be reaching Outer 08 in about five minutes. Have to hurry up." a zipping sound alerted him, and he turned to catch the flying magical bag in mid-air. He finished transfiguring the turians and tossed the statuettes inside. He straightened and looked around, sparing a longer glance to the still burning wreckage of the shuttle. He really went overboard on that blasting curse. He had cast it almost at full power. He really had to hurry, he still had to collect the soldiers inside the houses.

"Well, that was fun. But no rest for the wicked, as they say."

"Are you going to hit the base straight after dealing with the other teams?" asked Astrid.

"That's right. They know something went wrong here by now. I have to strike the iron while it is hot." he agreed.

"And what's the plan for that?"

"Well…" he cracked his neck. "I was thinking a little bit of shock and awe is in order."

* * *

Up on space, Mavis Vakarian kept watch over the _Ascendant Shadow's_ CIC. After three days of being kept in the dark, Desolas was forced to reveal to her the truth about the delay on the attack. It would not have been long before one of her ships caught the anomaly, anyway. After looking at the data herself, she was now more convinced than ever that this war had been a foolish move on their part. She also had the strangest suspicion that the general knew more about the bizarre sensory-blocking field than he was willing to tell.

Or perhaps she had just started to question anything that man said on principle. It seemed like a smart thing to do.

"Commander, one of our frigates has detected a small starship leaving FTL very close to the planet!" came the urgent call of Comms. "It's barely shuttle-sized."

She immediately brought the frigate's position on her battle map, and ordered. "Have them chase it down."

Comms, however did not have good news. "It's too late, ma'am. They will never catch it before it makes into the atmosphere."

"Understood. Warn General Arterius and keep track of the unknown object. Let's see if we can discover where it lands."

"Yes, High Commander."

Standing nearby, Adrien looked at her. "That ship almost certainly came off-system. The humans are making their own moves."

She nodded. "As we always knew they would. The next one might just be a dreadnought." Mavis sighed. She was not afraid to face anything the humans might throw at them, and had in fact spent the last days elaborating strategies against all kinds of different scenarios. It was the _why _she had to make those plans in the first place that got to her. "Tell all ships to keep sharp. Inform me immediately if anything like that happens again."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Bugger! What a cock up."

"C'mon, Harry. Two out of almost fifty? Not too shabby, you know that." her voice was kind, but firm.

"I know."

He was looking at the two bodies laying a short distance away from the burning wreckage of another turian shuttle.

He was taken by surprise. He had just finished dealing with the turians on the second settlement when a third transport broke into the Obscuration Field. He had been inside one of the prefabs at the time. He expected the craft to land and deposit more soldiers, but instead it turned around and flew off.

Hurriedly, he Apparated outside the field in the direction they had gone and managed to hit the craft in mid-flight. It was just starting to gain speed, and was still not very high up, but two soldiers still died from the crash, and one other suffered critical injuries.

He now regretted the hasty decision, would it have made that much of a difference, allowing them to escape? But what was done, was done, and he could not let himself be caught up in remorse every time he took an enemy's life. He would most likely do so many more times before all was said and done.

Astrid was right, two casualties, maybe three, out of five tens was not a bad job. He looked upon the dead turians' faces and committed them to memory, as he tried to do with every soul he took from the universe. Then he transfigured the corpses, and moved on.

* * *

Talon Base had been erected in a hurry, but still sported the same kind of structured excellence that all turian camps boasted. Tall metal walls lined by catwalks provided protection and many different laser AA guns should be able to take care of any fighter-sized crafts that came their way, as well as intercept any long-range missiles. Many elevated barracks and tents where place in precise positions, reinforced metal shacks housed the main stations like Command, Medical and Requisitions. A mobile fusion plant at the center of the base offered plenty of energy to all systems, and was protected by its own kinetic barrier.

The entire 4th Company of the 37th Legion had been relocated to the ground, 215 legionnaires. All counted, the 16th Fleet carried a thousand strong ground complement, and half again that number could be taken from the crews and still leave enough personnel to operate the fleet for a short time. In fact, as the crews of their frigates now mostly found themselves with nothing to do, their reserve forces were even higher than usual.

Along with the soldiers, a lot of equipment had been brought down. The high ground and orbital support should make their vanguard force capable of facing any opposition the humans might have available in such a sparsely settled world. Especially if they had to dedicate a portion of their forces for civilian guard duty.

Field Commander Nayra was not so confident anymore, though. "Nothing?" she asked.

The turian in front of her shook his head. "Nothing, ma'am. All three platoons are radio silent. Worse, we just got these images from up there." he entered a few commands on his omnitool, and the sad fate of their very first strike teams was revealed.

Half an hour ago, they had lost all contact with the first reconnaissance group. Shortly after, the second group suffered the same fate. The third was immediately recalled and sent to investigate. The shuttle had reported a black dome apparently made of some thick gas partially covering the site of the second human town. The officer in charge took a risk and went for a brief look inside the dome. They came back, and just managed to confirm that the platoon and their transport had been neutralized, before they also went silent.

Their orbital images confirmed the report. It seemed the humans had taken electromagnetic sensory denial to an art-form. These black covers had a similar effect to the giant purple dome, except they seemed to be actually made of some unknown physical substance and had a much more limited range, about a hundred meters. They also dispersed after a short time. The most recent images she now looked at showed the two contact locations. Three destroyed shuttles could be seen, one of them mangled beyond recognition. There were no traces of corpses, nor where they receiving any transponder signals.

Humanity was proving a far more dangerous foe than they could have imagined. It was anyone's guess as to why they were not able to employ their mysterious ECM technologies in space, but here, on this planet, it was breaking the turians game at every turn. At least it was not active camouflage (the commander shuddered at the mere thought of a city-wide invisibility field) and was very obvious when in use.

The entire base was already at alert, every single soldier keeping their weapons close. It was evident the human towns had been trapped. How such a thing escaped the long hours of observation by their sentry drones, the commander did not knew. But Talon Base was clear, so they would now wait for the enemy to come. General Desolas was already mobilizing a rapid-response group.

"Thank you. Return to your post, Lieutenant." the man saluted her and left. Nayra watched over her people, grim tension gripped them all. She looked to the sky; the long twilight was almost over, and night would soon fall.

* * *

There was another person watching over the many people moving about the turian camp. Harry Potter was once again concealed, this time sitting casually at the top of the base's communication tower.

This was it! Show time! Taking out this base would either make the turians back off for some more time, or send them into a frenzy. If it was the later… well, the Shroud could do a lot more than just conceal an area from all outside observation. They would learn that the hard way. They could also just start to shoot randomly at the surface, and one thing the Shroud could not do was to act as a shield. But most of the population, Marines and civilians alike, were safely hidden deep underground. Harry ultimately wanted to keep this fight between the turians and himself for as long as possible.

The wizard fished out another flask of the Obscuring Solution from his coat, along with a small runic slab. He had not spent the last two days only studying the turians. He had also taken the opportunity to lay down some nasty surprises all over the place. Holding both items in his left hand, he jumped off the tower, spinning in the air, and pointed the holly wand at his previous perch in mid-fall, mentally chanting.

"_REDUCTO!" _

* * *

Field Commander Nayra had just got herself a cup of hot _lathan, _when a bright blue flash burst from the middle of the base's communications tower. She let the metal container fall to the floor with a 'clack' that went unheard, as half of the structure disintegrated before her surprised eyes.

"ALL HANDS TO BATTLE!" the shout, and the subsequent loud alarm, brought her mind back to reality. She dove for the rifle resting on the wall next to her, thoughts racing. Just how, in the name of sacred Palaven, had the enemy infiltrated their base? Whatever shot destroyed the tower could not have come from outside. Could it?

"Spirits, it's happening here!"

She looked to where a nearby officer was pointing. From next to the base of the ruined comms structure, black smoke burst forth in a dark wave that swept over the ground faster than a person could run. When the smoke reached the outer walls, it raised up to form the dreaded black dome over the whole camp. Nayra could do nothing but watch as the stars in the sky vanished one by one. Soon, there were none to be seen.

"All squads, form up and take cover!" she ordered. "All soldiers on the catwalks, turn your guns to the gates. I want all drones on the air right now!" she turned to another man. "What about our patrols outside this cursed thing?"

"No contact, ma'am!" he answered, confirming her fears.

Over the noise of frantic moving soldiers, they heard two loud sounds. The commander turned to the western gates, to see they had just finished closing up. She looked at the eastern ones, and confirmed they had done the same thing. She yelled. "Who ordered those gates shut?!"

"No one, Commander."

"Well, _someone_ did…"

Just then, every single vehicle left at the base, four transports and two _Frangit _Assault Tanks, exploded. Huge holes where left in the engine sections, making them completely useless.

Before she could finish processing that, a loud 'bang' echoed and a bright flash was seem from the viewing holes of the camp's main barracks.

* * *

Inside said barracks, almost thirty turian soldiers had been resting when the alarm blared and made them all jump to their weapons, no one having taken their armor off. In a matter of seconds they were ready and moving to either of the two exits. The soldier leading one of the lines stopped abruptly, though, when she got sight of the fabric door.

On the surface, a circle of light not unlike a holographic projection shone a pale yellow. It was rotating slowly and seemed to be filled with tiny alien inscriptions.

"Everybody stop! Get away from the door!" she yelled.

"Lieutenant!" called a fearful voice from the back of the long tent.

She quickly turned her head to look at the speaker. The male soldier was the farthest from her and he was pointing at another glowing circle exactly like the first one, floating over the opposite entrance.

"Shit." was all she could say, before both circles detonated and blinding white filled her sight.

* * *

"Somebody check on those soldiers!" she yelled. White smoke, like water vapor, could be seen drifting from the barracks.

She saw a team running to the barracks, when another explosion went up in the opposite direction. She looked at it and saw a fireball, a _fucking GREEN_ _fireball_, enveloping the platform where their drone wings had been stationed. They had sixty of the small V.I. controlled combat robots parked there. Somehow, she was not surprised to see the hundreds of little pieces from the drones strew around the equally ruined platform.

On the other hand, she was VERY surprised to see a lone male turian, probably one of the drone's technicians, standing inside the blasting zone looking stunned and completely unharmed.

He was also naked as the day he was born, his armor and undersuit gone.

The man looked slowly down at himself. Under the disbelieving eyes of all the nearby soldiers, who seemed to forget that they were under attack at the moment, he bent down and picked something at his feet. Nayra thought she recognize the gauntlet of a standard turian armor. He looked at the metal piece in his hands for a second, as if in contemplation, before falling sideways in a dead faint.

They did not get to remain gawking at the sight, because another 'bang', and another flash, started to come from every single tent or shack on the base, as well as from the vicinity of every gun emplacement up on the catwalks. There was cursing and screaming everywhere. Nayra turned her head just in time to catch seven turians who had been inside the Medical shack dropping to the floor after it, too, flared up. That's when her brain clicked, and she flung herself over the low wall of the command shack.

Just in time, because she could feel a heavy concussion force blasting at her back. She hit the ground rolling, and after stabilizing herself turned back to the shack to see white smoke coming out of it, while none of her officers was left standing.

She looked around and saw all the surviving turians trying to organize themselves and hunker down behind any cover they could find. She did a quick mental count, and was dismayed to realize there were very few left. No more than fifty.

And where the _hell _was their enemy?

* * *

Harry Potter was currently mopping up the second, and last, patrol group that had been keeping watch outside of the base. The five-men teams were not hard to bring down when one could Apparate right in the middle of their formations and stun them all with a single wide area Concussion Hex. A handful of _Stupefies_ later, and that was that.

Actually, he was not even bothering with the Stunning Spells anymore, and was just transfiguring the heavily disoriented soldiers straight away. Much faster that way. The few groups of drones scattered around where even more easily taken care of.

A short way behind him, he could hear the many screams and explosions as his runic traps went off one after another inside the base's walls. That should take care of most of the opposition. All of the traps he used were non-lethal ones; they would knock the targets unconscious or, in the case of the one he left at the drone recharge station, damage only artificial objects.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for the guys. Maybe we should stop here." said Astrid.

"Really?"

"Of course not! Go back there and finish them off!"

He let out a small laugh. "As my lady commands."

* * *

Everything had been quiet for the last minute. Commander Nayra managed to bring order to her people and they had formed into ten small teams. Whatever traps the enemy had managed to plant into their base, and she was burning with the need to know _how _they did that, seemed to have run out. But the black dome still hung overhead, and they could not open either of the gates.

They were covering all possible directions. Ready for anything.

Except, perhaps, for a loud CRACK to sound from the dead center of the camp. As one, fifty turians turned to look at the source of the noise, and found a single human standing over it. He had a stick in one hand, and a black pistol in the other.

The field commander did not hesitate. "OPEN FIRE!"

At same time she began speaking, the human whirled around, his brown coat flying. Before the storm of gunfire could reach him, a dozen thick slabs of red rock raised from the ground and surrounded the target completely.

She was astonished, and so was every other legionnaire, but they did not stop firing. They kept the deadly rain on for almost a full minute, until every weapon had overloaded at least twice. While that happened, five different soldiers tossed frag grenades at the thing. When the smoke cleared, the unnatural rock formation had been reduced to fine rubble, and the human was nowhere to be seen.

A flash came from her right, and four turians went flying as one of the teams was blasted apart. They hit the ground hard, but their armors should keep them safe from major injury. The human was there for just a second, then he vanished.

"WATCH OUT, TACTICAL CLOAK!" she yelled, finally founding an explanation for the enemy's ability to move around unnoticed. They still did not knew how the enemy could move so quickly, but it was the only logical way.

Another blast. Another group of soldiers tossed around like rag dolls. Before the target could vanish again, she saw a marksman up on the catwalks hit him with a burst from his powerful rapid-fire _Incisor_ sniper rifle. The three rounds were all stopped, however, by a shimmering silver force field. The alien almost negligently pointed his own gun in the direction of the soldier, barely looking at the man, and shot a single time. The black frame lit up in red lines, the muzzle flashed in golden fire, and the sniper was throw back against the wall hard. There was no flare of barriers, and he did not get up.

The human pointed his stick at another team, and a white light shot from it, hitting the red earth under them. In an instant, the solid ground turned to a semi-liquid right beneath their feet, and all five turians went neck-deep under it. He vanished again, and almost instantly appeared next to yet another group. He shot three of them with his gun before they could react, each one dropping instantly to the earth, and the last one was hit by another red light from the stick and went down as well. A heartbeat later, he was gone.

A scream made her turn and look as the low steel wall another group was using as cover came alive and enveloped the legionnaires like a solid metal net, completely trapping them.

By now, any other group of soldiers in the galaxy would almost certainly have broken down and fled in the face of such otherworldly power. And a part of Nayra's mind screamed at her to do just that. But they were turians, and her people was made of sterner stuff.

"Scatter!" she screamed. "Don't stay close or this monster will just take you all at once!"

Barely more than twenty turians were left, but they all moved to obey. Looking around, the commander noticed that only a single soldier was left on the catwalks. All others were down. Another loud CRACK, and the human was back at the center of the camp. He began to move swiftly and strike at each soldier, one by one. He was incredibly fast, and deadly accurate with that hand cannon of his. Every soldier who was out of cover went down with a single shot. Those who got something between themselves and the beast found their covers being lifted out of the way, turned into sand, or even just vanishing into thin air.

The monster did not pretend to run anymore. He walked calmly and took every shot they aimed at him. That silver kinetic barrier was impossibly strong; it just would not overload. Disruptor ammo, incendiary ammo, one soldier even tried cryo ammo, all with the same effect. Three combat engineers threw tech mines at him, the small glowing disks detonating in bright electric blasts, but they might as well be using fireworks for all the good it did.

"CLEAR OUT!"

Nayra watched as a female soldier hoisted an ERCS M-100 Grenade Launcher. She took aim and discharged the entire magazine of the heavy weapon. One, two, three, five of the misnamed rockets hit the alien dead in the chest. For a few seconds, smoke prevented them from seeing the target…

…until he stepped out of the fog, none the worse for wear. Another lightning-quick shot took the female turian out.

That was the moment Nayra realized she and the lone soldier on the wall were the only ones left.

The monster shot another red light from his stick at the man on the catwalk. He managed to jump out of the way, but stumbled and fell down over the railing, and straight through the black dome.

Her enemy seemed to pause at that, looking to the point the soldier had vanished. She would not let that stand.

"I'm right here, you freak!" she shouted, firing her rifle at him. He turned his amber eyes back to her and resumed walking in her direction. Soon, her _Phaeston _overheated. She threw it to the side and brought her own heavy pistol out. When that, too, had to cool down, she tossed it as well and activated her omintool's blade. It was a rarely used feature of the tools, as no one but the krogans tried to use melee in a gun fight. With a battle-cry she flung herself at the monster.

Only to find herself suspended in mid-air by a hand gesture, completely at the creature's mercy.

"Finish it!" she spat, when he just looked at her for a few seconds. "What is one more death?!"

He shook his head at her, and spoke. She was surprised to find his voice was not filled with venom and evil. It was actually quite pleasant. "Sorry. You are one hell of a brave lass, but neither of us is dying tonight."

He gently touched the tip of his stick, which she could now see was made of some kind of wood, to her forehead. He gave a whisper and she felt herself falling asleep.

* * *

"We have WHAT hanging over us?" asked General Williams one more time.

"A thirty-three kilometers wide, sensory repelling barrier, General." repeated the man at the other side of the screen. "I assume it is the only thing keeping the invaders from following through on their threat to bombard the colony, and also the reason why they established their ground base so far from your main settlement."

"Jesus Christ." whispered the flag officer. He looked again to the image he had been sent, providing proof of the man's claim. It had been shortly corroborated by the recon squad that had left the barrier area. "How is this possible? How come our sensors are not picking this damn thing up?"

"Probably for the same reason we are having this conversation, General, even when our transmission should have been blocked like any other electromagnetic wave. When we got close enough to it, it also vanished from our ship's sensors. It's only visible to the naked eye now. _Something _is keeping your systems safe through the battle network, most likely put there by the same party who erected the shield in the first place."

Williams gripped the arms of his chair hard. "Could it be the turians? Have they broken into our systems?!"

The man was quick to soothe him. "I don't believe so, General. Until now, the barrier has been a hindrance only to the aliens. It very likely spared many of your Marine's lives. While you _should_ investigate how someone could compromise your network at such a level, I don't think these individuals mean us harm." he leaned forward. "Which brings us back to our mission here. Will you accept our help, sir?"

The officer shook his head to banish his dark thoughts, he would have to deal with freakish energy domes and security issues at another time. "Are things really that bad on Earth?"

The man nodded. "Right before we left, the United Nations were locked in discussion over how the Navy should respond. There are many parties who are vying for a diplomatic approach, they don't want to risk a war with an alien race. There are also a few who fear the power the Alliance could have if they took charge of the situation. It looks like it's going to be a very long discussion."

"Damn alien-lovers and powermongers!" snarled the general. "They are not the ones who had to watch as over two hundred brave people were wiped out without mercy! We need to act NOW!"

"I agree, and so do my backers." said the man, firmly. "We always knew this day would come. Now it's the time for us to show any civilization out there that humanity is not a race that can be trifled with. Trust me, General; right now, my people are doing everything they can to break the political impasse. And I guarantee that the Alliance will respond, with or without Earth's backing."

He gestured with his arm. "But that is for later, you need help right now. You have seen my qualifications, and those of my team. We will be at your disposal. No mission is too risky, no challenge too great. Just point us at a target, and we will make it work."

The man spoke with absolute confidence. And if the records Williams received were to be trusted (and they bore the digital signatures of three different Navy admirals), he had plenty of reason to be confident.

"Very well. I'm really not in any position to refuse competent help. Can you make your way here on your own, Mr. Harper?"

The man's grey eyes shined, a smile breaking out on his classically handsome face. "That shouldn't be a problem, General. And please, it's Jack."

* * *

Harry gave a sigh, contemplating the prone form of the last turian soldier. With the adrenaline rush subsiding, fatigue was starting to set in. How long had it been since he used so much magic in such a short time? He managed to keep his skills sharp enough, but his endurance had clearly been affected by the years of peaceful space exploration. He would have to keep a closer eye on that in the future.

"Harry, the Alliance knows about the Shroud." informed Astrid.

He took a moment to answer. "Well, we knew that was not a secret that would last for long. How did they find out?"

"A small ship came from Earth; a black-ops team, posing as mercenaries, absurdly high qualifications. They saw the Shroud and informed Williams. Their leader, a guy named Harper, is sharp as a tack. He deduced immediately that someone is using the battle network to clear their equipment."

"Understood, we will deal with that later. Just let me finish here." he kneeled next to the soldier, and was just about to transfigure him when the voice coming from the guy's omnitool grabbed his attention. He knew that voice.

"Patrus? Answer me, soldier!"

The wizard debated with himself. Would this be a smart move? Could it make things worse?

Well… no risk, no reward, right?

He reapplied the modified Translation Charm he created just the day before and carefully removed the omnitool from the turian's arm. Then, he brought the device to his mouth.

"General Desolas? Just the man I wanted to talk with."

The line went dead for many seconds. Harry just waited.

"Who is this? What have you done to Corporal Patrus?" the voice was pleasant enough, at first impression. But he could detect the threatening undercurrent in it.

"Oh, don't worry, General. Your man is just fine. In fact, most of your people are in very good health."

There was a light scoff. "Forgive me if I do not take your word for it. And you have not answered my first question. Are you an officer? Or just a soldier on the strike force sent to destroy my base?"

He let out a small laugh. "No, no, General. No strike forces, no armies, just me and a few good friends. We are not not even a part of the Alliance. We are just a group of people who decided to take grievance to a fleet invading their home, that's all."

"Again, do you expect me to believe that?"

"I expect nothing of you, old chap. Nothing at all. Go ahead and check it out with your sensors. But wait, your sensors are not working all that well these days, are they?"

There was another pause, and when the turian leader next spoke, there was a hunger in his words. "What do you know about that dome?"

"That, General, is called The Shroud. And you can be sure I know a great deal about it. We are the ones who created it, after all." a blatant lie, though only partial. He knew all the theory behind the Resonance Orbs. He just was not skilled enough to replicate them. "It is very old science, a power from the distant mists of the past. The very same power I used to take out your base this night. Almost like magic, isn't it?"

Merlin, that sounded so dramatic.

It seemed to light a fire in the turian, tough. "Like magic, indeed. It seems I have made a terrible misjudgment of your race, my friend. If humanity has such power as to create that effect, and to easily take out a heavily fortified military camp in a matter of minutes, my superior's decision to subjugate your race may have been hasty at best. Is it too late for us to try and fix this? Would you not consider a dialogue? We can arrange a meeting on neutral ground."

Harry suppressed a shudder. He wanted this conflict to end, he wanted peace. But he knew without a shadow of doubt that Desolas Arterius could not be trusted. The man was a snake, and any deal made with him would be poisoned from the start.

"I'm afraid we don't have that kind of authority, General. We're just civilians, remember? But let me tell you something: you take your ships off orbit, you leave us alone. You send for diplomats from your people, or from this Citadel Council we have been hearing about, and I'm sure the Alliance will be happy to negotiate with them."

The turian began speaking, but the wizard interrupted him. A part of him noted that this was the same thing the general had done to Admiral D'Amico at their own meeting. What goes around, comes around.

"If you insist on carrying this invasion forward, however, let me give you a friendly warning, for courtesy's sake: your base, tonight? That was nothing compared to what we will do if you send more forces down here."

A very long pause. "Is that a threat, human?" the fake warmth was gone, the general's voice was pure ice.

"A threat?" it was Harry's turn to scoff. "A threat implies that I hope you will heed it. No, General, we have learned enough about your people to know you are not easily intimidated. This, is a statement."

He spoke very slowly. He put every single fiber of his conviction on his next words, the weight of an entire life fighting against beings like the man on the other end of that line. "Every ship you send down here, we will destroy. Every piece of equipment you drop on this planet, we will tear to shreds. Every turian that steps foot on this earth with the intent to harm innocents will be our prey. There will be no walls thick enough, no shields strong enough, no guns powerful enough to save them. We will hunt them down, and we will take them from you."

The man was silent for almost half a minute. "Bold words." Despite the still cold tone, Harry could detect the tinniest hint of doubt on the man's voice. He felt fiercely proud of that.

A sudden light flooded the place where he was standing, coming from the shuttle he knew had been approaching for quite some time. It was hovering just in front of him, the large frontal guns aimed at his chest. He made no effort to hide himself, and he would make no effort to hide what he would do next, either.

Desolas voice came out triumphantly, a mocking tilt in his perceived victory. "Let's see how your group does without their apparent leader. Now, may I know the name of the man who is just about to become my prisoner?"

Harry looked to the turian soldier he had stunned a few minutes ago, recalling his last words. It was fitting enough.

"I believe your Corporal Patrus told you already, General." he charged the spell behind his back. "We are the Ghosts of Shanxi, and this is _our _planet."

He shot the electric-blue spell at the transport. It washed over the hull and took out every electronic circuit connected to it. The lights went off, the guns died, and the heavy spacecraft tumbled to the ground with a deafening crash.

Harry let drop his last flask of the Obscuring Solution. That done, he finally transfigured the soldier and picked the small figurine up, then went to take care of the transport's passengers that were even now crawling out of the wreckage. He had dealt with the first turian play on the planet, and now he had plenty of prisoners to interrogate and devices for his ship to hack into. That should give them enough data to plan their next move.

"Not bad for a day's work, heh?" said Astrid.

"Not bad at all." he agreed.

* * *

ANs:

So, we fast-forwarded a few days and Harry got to show some toys and kick some ass.

As I explained to some, Harry is a full paragon but he is no saint. He hates taking lives, but will do so if necessary.

A 'thank you' to both adrian11 and willboon for their reviews. No PMs allowed to either.

*User exillion did not enjoy the admittedly clichéd start. I understand, and wish him the best.

*GJMEGA, magic itself has not disappeared from Earth. Only all magical creatures, including wizards and witches.

Next chapter, all parties deal with the things that happened in here.

Till next time,

Fish

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*Update - 2015.04.07: so, I have made a very important change to the chapter. When I first chose to make Harry announce himself as a solitary fighter, I did it to emphasize the reasons as for why he decided to reveal himself in the first place. Those reasons should be properly explained in the chapter after the next (chapter 7), if anyone is wondering. However, a review made by the user So Inclined made me think about it, and I realised that one thing didn't necessarily depended on the other. So I changed it. Not because of the intimidation factor he pointed out (even if it is a completely valid reason), but because it makes the story a little more plausible to the turians point-of-view. And it also opens opportunities for interesting effects later in the story.

I hope this also shows I'm open to suggestions, in so much as I find them interesting and they do not clash with the core elements I have already planned. Like I said from the begining, most aspects of the story are already all planned out, but details like this can be certainly improved upon. I mean, if it _is _an improvement in your eyes, of course.

In any case, I thank user So Inclined for prompting the change.

I've also decided to remove Harry's last threat to Desolas. While giving the ultimatum had its purpose, that last line was not justifiable at this point, and it was pushing the whole 'invincible badass' vibe a little more than I intended.


	7. Chapter 6: Carrots and Sticks

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

*WARNING: For the old readers who do not yet know, I have made an important alteration to the last scene of the previous chapter. The events are still the mostly the same, but changing pronouns gave Harry's conversation with Desolas a new light. I urge you to check it out before reading this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

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**Carrots and Sticks**

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**.**

**.**

Relaxing against the back wall of Shanxi's temporary command center, Jack Harper watched with concealed amusement as the Bulldog barked orders to his people.

"Check it again, Ms. Lasky. Hell, check it three more times! If there are foreign software in that network, I want them found. There has got to be traces somewhere."

"Aye, aye, sir." answered the young woman.

When it became glaringly evident that someone had broken into the Alliance battle net, General Williams had ordered all communications to be done over the secondary lines and all computers disconnected from the network by default. Unfortunately, they still depended on the system to keep track of their many sensory suits and to coordinate real-time tactical data between different units. But Williams hoped that the measures would keep third parties from knowing about strategic decisions and battle plans.

Jack knew it was all useless. The general was a smart man, his people were well-trained and competent, but they had no idea what they were up against.

"Pressly, anything?"

The old First Sergeant gave his report in a gravelly voice. He looked just a few years away from retirement. "We have found no signs of unauthorized presence anywhere, General. Every soldier has checked clean. I'm afraid it is just impractical to search forcefully among the civilians. There's just too many of them to knock on every tent, and they are already nervous enough as it is. As my grandson would say, better not to poke on a beehive unless you are sure to get your honey."

Williams gave a nod of acknowledgment, though his face showed that he was absolutely not happy with that fact. "I understand. Tell every Marine to keep an eye out."

"And what if we find anyone, sir?"

The general took a deep breath. "If there are any suspicious elements messing around with our equipment, I want them detained with as little injury as possible. Unless they start shooting at you, give them all chance to come in quietly. If they refuse, capture them if possible, but _do not_ use lethal force. I hate to know there are people waging their own private war against the aliens without any overseeing from us, and compromising our security in the process, but they have yet to bring harm to a single soldier or civilian. Most likely saved a lot of asses, so far." he shook his head. "And that's not even telling how great of an asset they could be. Frankly, if I have to choose between having them killed or keep doing their thing, I would rather take the second option."

1stSgt Pressly just nodded, a serious cast to his face. "I will inform the boys and girls. The colony officials are making a quiet search. With how many people we have and how scattered they are, it will take some time, though. If they suspect anything, they will call us."

"And of course, there are still hundreds of civilians out there who never made into the shelters. Not to mention any unregistered visitors." the general sighed. "Nothing to be done about that. You're dismissed, Pressly."

"Sir!" with a sharp salute, the senior non-commissioned officer on Shanxi started to make his way out.

All around him, Marine specialists and soldiers performed their tasks. Jack had not been in that room, or on that planet, for the last few days, but he was sure the mood had been very different before. Despite all the suspicion and misgivings about the protective dome around their colony, the more cynical even said it was the work of the aliens themselves, most people took heart at those news. And if, previously, the intentions of whomever put up the thing were uncertain, the recent data sent by the recon squads changed that.

The images of the broken and defeated alien forward base left no doubt to most that someone else was taking the fight to the turians, and that someone had one hell of a big stick. Sure, that meant a very powerful rogue element with unclear goals was playing in their backyard without a single 'by your leave', not to mention the obvious ease with which they could infiltrate Alliance systems. But suddenly, the Marines were not alone in this fight. And for people that had expected to just stand around dying while waiting for the cavalry to arrive, that meant more than could be said. So it was not surprising that the men and women inside the room worked with a renewed spring to their steps, even as they hunted down the supposed intruders.

General Williams himself seemed undecided if he would punch the mysterious fighters and throw them into a cell, or give them a medal and tell them to keep up the good work. Probably a combination of both.

"First Sergeant." Jack gave a friendly nod to the older man as he passed him by.

Said officer just gave him a brief and guarded look. With a half-nod back and an almost-whispered grunt, he left the room.

The operative had to struggle in order to suppress his smile. In what he thought was an incredibly amusing twist of fate, he and his team were being regarded with a lot more mistrust than Shanxi's secret defenders. Even when they were right there and had full backing from Williams. But he could understand; just three people and an armed shuttle when they needed a whole fleet? Plus, they were still untested in the eyes of the soldiers and their mercenary cover did not help matters any.

But they would prove themselves sooner or later. Jack was ready to give his life protecting humanity, and so were his teammates. The only question was how they could be most helpful. And that thought made him look once more to the datapad he had been contemplating for the last half-hour.

He heard the door to the room opening one more time but paid it no attention until he felt the sudden shift in the nearby mood, and the newcomer addressed him directly.

"Jack?" the gracious voice of his female teammate reached him. He looked up into pale green eyes as the woman came close enough so they could talk without being overhead. "There you are, we have just received our first assignment."

He nodded. He also noted with renewed mirth that a few Marines were sparing poorly-disguised looks of admiration at his companion. He forgave them their droll, as Eva Coré was most certainly droll-worthy. The blonde could easily pose as a fashion model. She could also just as easily break the spines of almost every man in that room and shoot their left eyeball from forty meters with a pistol.

"So, what is it?"

"There's a downed enemy UAV on the southern outskirts of the city. Now that he knows the aliens can't target specific points inside the dome, Williams wants whatever data can be salvaged from that thing, along with almost two dozen reconnaissance probes."

Jack chuckled. "But they might still be trapped, somehow, and he isn't willing to risk his own Marines just yet. So he sends us."

She returned his smile. "That appears to be the case, yes."

"Smart man."

"I thought so, too."

He straightened from his leaning position on the wall. He gave another look at the datapad. "You go fetch Ben and gear up, I will be along shortly. I just need to send a little message, first."

Eva looked confused. "Making new friends already, Jack?"

He returned with a half-smile. "In a manner of speaking."

She puzzled over his words for a few seconds, then just sighed. "All right, keep your secrets. I will get the big lump, we will be ready in fifteen." with that, she left the room.

The operative thought about what he wanted to say for a couple of minutes. A few strokes of the pad later, and the message was sent. Now he could just wait for the answer. Despite the great danger this could potentially place him into, he had no doubts about his choice.

What was happening at this alien-besieged colony on the fringe of known space was nothing short of a miracle. Something the few people in the know thought they would never see again. And Jack Harper would not let this wonder slip through their fingers after all this was over. It could change everything for humanity.

* * *

The woman gave a small jerk, then slowly opened her eyes. For a few moments, she took long glances at the walls around her, then at the chair she was sitting on, then finally at him. And all the time her mandibles fluttered slowly and her brow plates contracted just a tad, in an expression of lethargic bewilderment.

Then, her eyes widened just a fraction. "General Arterius, sir." her first words were slurred and faltering. There was just the slightest apprehension to her voice. "Wh-what happened? What are you doing down here?"

"Do not worry, my friend." he soothed, in his best calming tones. "There has been an incident. You got into a little scuffle with the humans, but it is all over now."

The turian took another confused look around the small room. Dark grey and silver metal walls greeted her, the harsh overhead lamps still made her eyes blink a little. She finally seemed to notice the window to her left, which showed the black void of space. She spent almost a minute looking at it. On the distance, the familiar thrum of starship engines was a comforting sound, he was sure. "This isn't the human planet. Where are we?"

"Back on the Fleet, soldier. We have recalled your entire company."

"We are abandoning the planet, sir?"

"Only for the moment. We came to an agreement with the humans after your clash. We are holding our forces back for now."

The soldier's brow plates became a little tighter. "But sir, that's not right. The humans are foolish criminals. We came here to take out their guns and teach them about the rules."

"I know, soldier. But we are nevertheless taking a break from all that right now." he looked sharply at her. "Do you _want_ to fight them?"

She pondered that for a while, and he could see the thoughts moving sluggishly behind her eyes. She finally just shook her head. "No, not now. Too tired. Maybe later."

He just nodded, face very serious.

The woman tugged feebly at her restrained limbs, and when they would not move, she looked at him. "I'm stuck. Why am I stuck?"

He put up a calming hand. "You are very tired, yes? Members feel like lead? The bonds are there to keep you from hurting yourself. You will feel better soon and they will come off, I promise."

The woman blinked slowly. "I suppose." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you, sir."

"You are welcome, soldier. That aside, are you all right? Need anything?"

She considered that for a moment. "I could use a little water. A _lathan _would be even better, to be honest."

"We will get you something to drink very shortly. But first, I truly need you to answer some questions for me, my friend. I promise this will not take long."

The turian nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "That's okay, I guess."

"Excellent! First, state your full name and rank."

"Field Commander Nayra Acklan, Blade Legionnaire. 4th Strike Company of the 37th Legion." she answered, slowly but promptly.

"Very good, Nayra. Now, can you tell me what the last thing you remember is?"

The woman took some time now. He just waited patiently. "I-I'm not sure." her flanging voice took a very low, keening undercurrent. "You ordered us to establish a base on the human planet, and our Company was chosen to go first." another long pause. "I was one of the first to go down. We got into the transport… Sergeant Laska made fun of my last fight in the training room! As if he never lost a bout before." she grumbled a little about that.

He rapped his knuckles loudly on the arm of his chair and got the woman's attention again. "Right, but we are too far in the past, my friend. I need you to concentrate on the _last _things you remember."

"We…" the turian tilted her head this way and that, as if trying to dislodge a memory. "We were working. We put up a base… Talon? Spear? We coordinated some kind of… incursion into the alien's little settlements. I was overseeing the operation and... wait, there was an attack?" it seemed his earlier words had just now registered properly. "I think… yes, there was a black smoke and… flashes? Grenades? My soldier were screaming. I-I can't remember, is everyone all right?" despite her words, she did not seemed truly concerned. She could not summon the emotion.

"Your subordinates are well, Nayra. You were roughed up a little, but most of you got out fine."

"Oh… that's good, then."

"Yes, it is."

_"Just like all the others."_ he thought.

Every one of the soldiers he had questioned so far had these same symptoms. The first was a deep exhaustion that could last for days. The second was that their more recent memories were a wrecked, disjointed mess. But that mess could be navigated with enough time and patience. It was delicate work, he had learned, but it could be done.

The Commander was just waiting placidly while he gathered his thoughts. "Thank you, soldier. Now, some of the others have shown great difficulties with their memories. For security matters, I will need to confirm some data with you. It shall not take long."

"All right." she agreed, relaxed.

With some brief moments of hesitation from time to time, the woman began to answer his many questions, while he made careful notations on all of it. Everything she said corroborated the information he had gotten from all the others, and all of it painted an exceptionally grim picture for them.

He leaned forward, looking very intently at the woman's eyes. This next part was very important, and what he thought was the key to solve this whole situation. "You're doing very well, Commander. We are half-way there. Just a few more questions and I will see that you receive some hot food and a comfortable bed. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded. "Some sleep would be nice."

"Of course. Now, please tell me everything you can remember about the other Citadel Races and the Council."

Almost an hour later, they were done. The turian's voice was hoarse and her eyes were drooping, mandibles slack against her jaw.

"Thank you very much, Commander. Now, can you please look up here? That's a good lass. _Obliviate!_"

Her face went completely slack, and her eyes clouded. Carefully, he began erasing the last day-worth of memories from the woman's mind. Her earlier confusion had been a temporary side-effect of a full-body transfiguration performed on a non-magical. He needed a more permanent measure. He varied the time-length with each prisoner, and used two types of effects. Most of the memories were set to be gradually recovered. Only the last couple of hours were permanently erased. Master Legilimens could perform incredibly complex memory work, erasing only very specific recollections. That was beyond him.

That done, he once more turned the woman into a wooden statuette.

"Ya know, no matter how many times we do this, I just can't get used to seeing you talking with that jerk's voice." said Astrid.

Harry Potter chuckled, still using said jerk's voice. He got up from the chair and dispelled the illusion he had weaved around himself, along with the voice-altering charm. Illusion charms like these had not been widely used in his old world. Experienced spellcasters could detect them with little difficulty, and they were ridiculously easy to break. If one wanted to disguise himself in the magical society, he had to go with either transfiguration or potions.

But against Mundanes? It worked just fine.

Collecting the prisoner, he left his best imitation of a room inside a turian warship and entered the long corridor. Metal walls once more gave place to reddish rock. The walls were lined with shelves where two-hundred and eighteen other similar figurines were neatly arranged. The strongest truth serums could get a person to disclose their deepest secrets to their worst enemies. But they were also devilishly hard to make, and required many rare ingredients. Harry could not afford to waste them carelessly, so he had opted for a mild compulsion potion coupled with his strongest Calming Charm, and aided by a little bit of deception.

He was putting Commander Acklan back into her shelf when Astrid spoke again. "So, was that the last one?"

He nodded. "Yes. We can't interview even half of all these guys. No one has been telling us anything really substantial for the last five rounds, so I think we can work up from here."

"Humanity is screwed, isn't it?" asked his companion, referring to all the data they had acquired about the turian's military force, logistics and doctrines.

The wizard sighed. He rested his back on the wall, arms crossed. "If we go to all-out war with these guys? You can bet on it. We have our teeth, but the Alliance is a shark in an ocean full of krakens. It will be at least three decades before we can pose any real challenge to the major powers, and that's if the Navy keeps the pseudo war-footing they have been on for the past eight years." he looked at his feet for a few seconds. "Has there been any new movements from their end?"

"Nothing on the Alliance's long-range-sensors. Also, my minions haven't seen squat."

The 'minions' his ship referred to were the twenty reconnaissance drones he had… appropriated from the turian base. Spoils of war, really. A few tweaks to their programming, courtesy of Astrid, a few concealment charms, courtesy of himself, and the little guys were now their new eyes in the sky; watchful, tireless, and completely undetectable. No more shuttles catching him with his pants down, as she had so eloquently put it.

"I think you really succeeded in making them nervous…" she paused for a moment, then snickered. "Mr. Ghost."

He groaned. She had been teasing him about the title every chance she got. It was just a spur of the moment thing! The corporal had been absolutely terrified of the name, he just figured it would be something the rest of the turians would share.

"Give it a rest will you? It's done. Anyway, I think it's high time we got a move on with Phase Two. You know, before General Wanker decides to send the rest of his forces down here."

"Ohh, I can't wait for that! I have been practicing my speech for a day now."

He chuckled. "I can imagine that. Well, just be patient for a little longer, girl." Harry took his mokeskin bag and went to the beginning of the corridor, where the first rows of transfigured turians were kept.

There was also a separate shelf, where six more statuettes stood. These had been made with a darker, almost black, wood, to signify the fundamental difference they had from all the others.

Besides the first two soldiers he had killed on the shuttle crash, two others had been standing exactly at the wrong place when one of the tank's engines exploded, and another fell from the catwalks when a concussion rune went off, landing straight on his neck. The last was the critically-injured soldier, also from the shuttle crash. Like Harry feared, the time it took him to finish off the base was too long. When he got back to the Refuge, the man had already died from his wounds.

Animate to inanimate transfiguration was weird, even for wizarding standards. A person turned into an object would go into a sort of mental limbo. They would not get hungry or thirsty, and any other biological necessities were put on hold. But it was not a form of stasis; there was no such magic. Injuries would still kill the person if left untreated, as would a grave enough disease. And perhaps the most famous effect; the person would _not_ stop aging.

Scholars debated the reasons for this apparent divergences for centuries, and for why, even with all their capacity to heal almost every wound, they could not create a spell to simply stave off Death. They could never arrived at a consensus, but Harry Potter knew the answer, and it was a simple one.

All souls had their allotted time on the Living Realm. And sooner or later, Death would get its due. The only way to deny the Reaper entirely was to invite a _far_ worse fate upon one's soul.

Well, there was one other way, of course. But it was… complicated.

Turning his back to the deceased turians, Harry begun collecting prisoners and putting them inside his bag. He thought about his next move, and the window he hoped it would create for him to capitalize on a very interesting piece of information he had come upon, regarding the movers and shakers on the sieging turian fleet. He still did not knew how he would get past the logistical problems, though. This was one of the times were he could really use some skilled help.

And as if to prove how Harry Potter was Fate's favorite toy, for better or worse, that was the precise moment when Astrid's very tense voice spoke to him. "Harry, we may have a serious problem."

He paused, concerned about the genuine alarm in her words. "You mean another one, girl? What is it?"

"We have received a message."

He frowned. "The turians are contacting the Alliance?"

"No, Harry. I mean a message to _us._ From that new guy, Jack Harper." she said. "Remember when I told you he was very smart for figuring out things about the Shroud? Turns out, deduction was only half of it."

Harry felt a flicker of apprehension in his guts. He had a feeling he knew what would come next. "All right, girl. Hit me."

The message appeared on his field of vision, transmitted directly to his visor. It was relatively short, but no less heavy in its implications because of it.

_ "Dear Sylphid,_

_ As you most certainly know, my name is Jack Harper, and I have come to this planet to help fight the aliens that seek to subjugate humanity. Imagine my surprise then, when I arrived at Shanxi to find a sight I have only ever heard fantastical tales about._

_ I would like to request a meeting with your masters or mistresses, whoever they are. I'm sure you can explain what I am, if they don't know already. I swear I mean them, or you, no harm. I believe they are the best chance this colony has to survive this conflict, and would like to pledge my support and that of my team. Even should they refuse, I guarantee that no word of their true nature or actions will leave my lips. It's not like I could divulge the information freely, anyway._

_ Unless my team is sent on a mission, I will be alone at supply depot number 2 in the Alliance HQ, at the 21__st__ hour of every day. I'm sure you can also find me at any other time or place, if you so choose. Take your time to make a decision, but remember that Shanxi is in grave danger, despite all your efforts, and I CAN help you._

_ Jack Harper_

_ P.s.: Together, we will recover that which was Lost."_

Harry just blinked. "Oh…"

"Just what are the chances that one of _them _would come here at this time?" asked his ship, outraged. "There must be what, twenty? At most? And what the hell does he means, calling you my 'master'? I just help you because… because you would be totally lost without me to hold your hand, that's all!"

Harry conjured a chair and sat upon it. He gave a weary sigh and looked at the hundreds of transfigured beings all around him. They stood still and silent, as most wooden statues did.

He remembered when Astrid first told him about the incident with the turians. The instant he learned about the possible invasion, he knew he was going to be in the middle of the mess. That had never been in doubt. What _had _changed a great deal was the degree and method of his interference. In the beginning, he was determined to be subtle. A few wards here, a few traps there, nothing too obvious. He would let the Alliance do most of the fighting, and support them from the shadows.

But there was the all too likely possibility of orbital bombardment. So he turned to the most powerful resource he had, the Resonance Orbs. And he _knew_ bloody well what activating the Shroud would mean for his future.

And as if that was not busting his cover enough, as the days passed and the looming invasion got ever closer, his damned conscience would not let him hold back while brave men and women died. Suddenly, simple wards and traps were not enough. Assisting the soldiers and capturing isolated targets was not enough. Somewhere along the line, he went from hidden supporter to trying to fight the damn battle all by himself. He announced himself the enemy, painting a target the size of the planet on his back, just on the off-chance that more innocents would not have to suffer once this whole invasion was over.

All in all, he was sure the people on Earth who still had knowledge of the truth would soon realize that at least one magical human yet lived. And then it would be open season for his magical hide. He just never expected one of those people to come for him here, not so soon; Astrid had not seen any news of the Shroud being sent to Earth. And he _definitely _did not expect them to make contact like this.

"Harry?" his companion asked. Her voice was soft now, and concerned. "Are you ok? What should we do?"

He took another minute to answer, gazing without really seeing at the little sharp-angled figurines. Then, he straightened himself and shook his head. _"Nowhere to move but forward."_

"For now, we stick to our next plan." he stood up and vanished the chair. He went back to filling his bag with more soldiers. "Keep a close eye on Harper and his team. Watch his every move."

"I can do that."

He put twenty-five prisoners inside, then closed the bag. "I will decide if we will give Mr. Harper his meeting after we are done for the day. Right now, I want you to be ready, it's your time to make an impression on our dear friend Arterius."

He could just imagine that she was mentally rubbing her hands in anticipation. "Ohh, I'm ready. You can bet your little mismatched socks on it."

He nodded. A step into the stream of magic later, and he was standing beneath a large promontory very far away from the colony. The light from Shanxi's star shined brightly on the red earth. After applying a few choice spells in the area, he began setting the turians on the ground.

"Bleeding Morgana, I will hate this part." he grunted.

"Harry, the birds are going to be fine. The mind-lock won't let them feel anything. I know their biology from the inside out by now. You just do it slow and steady, stop when I tell you to, and there will be no lasting damages."

"I know, girl. That isn't the point."

"I get you." she said, voice gentle. "But it is the only way to achieve the effect we want and you know it."

"Doesn't make it any better." with a sigh, he undid the transfiguration on the first soldier. With the full-sized male now laid on the ground, he kneeled next to him and cast the spell that would keep his mind dissociated from any physical experience. The magical version of general anesthesia. That done, he put away his first wand, and took out his secondary focus.

Hawthorn and dragon heartstring, won by conquest from an old enemy. His holly wand could be used, but it had become very fickle about what kind of spellwork he did over the years, obviously reflecting his own thoughts on the matter. Its natural resistance could mess his concentration and, ironically enough, end up killing the man.

He agreed with the wand, though. He hated doing this. Hated the taint it left on his Magic, even if temporary. Hated how it reminded him of his foolish youth, when he many times used such powers without knowing the terrible damage they could cause. Not even Dumbledore himself fully understood it, even if he had a very good idea. But his old headmaster had never commanded all three of the Hallows, could never see what Harry saw.

Gently, the wizard made a very shallow cut on the man's neck. Just enough to draw blood. Then, he put the tip of the black wand to the wound. As he shaped his will, he could feel instantly as his Magic recoiled, like a threatened animal. But it was only for a second.

"_Enervo."_

The body started to convulse even before he finished the word.

* * *

"There has been no detectable movement on a three hundred-kilometer radius from the dome for the last two days. We have found no tracks of any kind approaching or leaving Talon Base. We have confirmed that every significant piece of hardware inside the walls has been destroyed. Still no signs of our soldiers, dead or alive. No transponder signals have been detected on any region of the planet."

"Our analysis of the enemy's strike on the last shuttle are inconclusive. The craft was disabled too quickly for its sensors to send any data. All we have is the image of the attack, which suggests a directed energy weapon of some nature. Whatever it is, it's small enough that we can't see it in the recording, and it appears the shot is leaving the… human's right hand. Some believe it could possibly be a new kind of biotic attack."

"Thank you, Specialist. You're dismissed."

"Sir." the man saluted, and left.

"General, for the last time, _send word to Palaven. _Circumstances have changed. Evidence shows the humans are not senseless criminals planning an invasion. They are not uneducated children. They have proven themselves capable naval opponents, despite their disadvantages. And now, they have also proved that we are very much outmatched when it comes to conventional ground warfare."

Mavis Vakarian's voice rang strongly in the conference room of the _Penitent Justice, _after almost two days of trying to learn everything they could through long-distance observation of the destroyed Talon Base. Specialists had spent every single hour pouring through heaps of data. The recordings of the scans during the battle had been watched countless times, as had been the conversations between himself and Corporal Patrus, and the one with the unidentified human operative. And for all their efforts, they knew precious little now that they did not know forty hours ago.

Desolas had finally convened an officer's meeting between himself and the other commanders of the 16th fleet, to discuss their next course of action. And he had no choice but to invite the High Commander of the 53rd to participate. Predictably, she had spent the whole time advocating for a diplomatic move. And the worst part was, more than half of his officers were nodding their heads to her words.

"Palaven Command ordered this invasion based on incomplete data, and without consulting the Council. Repercussions will not come only from humanity. We are part of a much wider galactic community and we bear the responsibility of being its primary guardians. Every action we take here will reflect on them just as much as ourselves."

From his seat four chairs away from the woman, the commander of the frigate _Callius _took the word. He was a very close friend to the commanding officer of the frigate that the humans destroyed during the first space battle. That loss made his words much more spiteful than they would probably be otherwise.

"We are the Turian Hierarchy! We are not puppets of the Citadel!"

Vakarian turned to him, and her flanging conveyed an undertone of soothing empathy that the general could never fake. And _damnation _if it was not calming the man down. "I did not say that we were, Commander. But we cannot act as if our actions concern only ourselves. It is the weight we agreed to bear on the day we accepted a seat beside the asari and salarians. We have made it a part of our creed. Every one of us swore to uphold galactic peace and stability when we took our commissions. We must ask ourselves how we can best fulfill those vows."

Desolas interrupted. "I believe I have already extended the hand of diplomacy to our enemy, High Commander. And you all heard how it was swiftly rejected."

She turned her blue eyes on him, meeting his gaze without hesitation. He kept all traces of displeasure from his voice or expression, but with that woman, he was never sure if it was enough.

"With all due respect, General, I'm quite sure the human did not reject talks with our people. From what I understood, they rejected talks with _you_, specifically." on the seat to her left, he saw her First Officer, Victus, shift slightly. "And forgive me for saying this, but it is not without merit. The leader of the conquering force is hardly the most appropriate figurehead for such discussions."

"What makes me perplexed," spoke Felix, from his own left, "is how the humans knew about the Council. They had barely finished taking out the camp. They must have learned this either during the attack, or more likely before it. And this means they can either walk among the soldiers undetected, or hack computers faster than a quarian. Perhaps even both."

Another officer took up the trail of thought, voice grim. "And if the Corporal's words are to be believed, only a single one of them managed to take out a hundred and fifty legionnaires."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed one. "That's impossible. That soldier was clearly delusional, and the humans are trying to use that. Nothing less than a platoon could have achieved that result."

"They truly are as if Ghosts." said a female officer quietly, ignoring the man's words.

Desolas had to keep himself from grinding his teeth. Curse Patrus for coming up with the moniker, and curse the human for capitalizing on it. It was one of their oldest and dearest legends.

If every species had their own Spirits, could they not also have their own Ghosts?

In the absence of clear factual explanations, superstitions had the nasty habit of sounding remarkably rational. Even now, rumors were already spreading amongst the ranks. Desolas had caught more than one whispered conversation in corridors and work stations. Worse, he had heard them amongst his own Faithful. And he could do little to quell these whispers, except to present his soldiers with the corpse of one of the so-called 'immortal' beings.

Problem was, Desolas _knew _such things were possible. He had one 'supernatural' artefact resting at the cargo hold of one of his frigates right now, guarded by a being evolved beyond the limits of biology.

"It is just tech we can't understand yet." said the commander of the cruiser _Exalted Lance_. He was always a hot-headed man. He was also one of the believers. "Whatever their abilities on land, they don't seem able to reach us up here. Let's take a few shots inside that dome, see if we can hurt anything."

Victus shook his head. "That would be against every rule of engagement for this mission, Commander. And even if we were in an actual war with the humans, it would earn us little but more trouble after this is all over. Sur'Kesh would think us stupid children for trying to brute force our way through new technology like that. And striking indiscriminately at an area that could be full of foreign civilians? Councilor Tevos is liable to choke our Councilor when they next meet, and there will be burning turian effigies on asari worlds before the end of the day. Void, even the _batarians _will protest, if only to make us look bad."

He looked at every officer around the table. "Does anyone here doubt there will be a full report of this conflict made by every intelligence agency in the galaxy before long? Spirits, the Shadow Broker will probably have it by next month."

They all traded glances, and nods were seem everywhere. The young officer was right.

"Exactly, Lieutenant." said Vakarian. She once again addressed the room. "The humans have shown themselves capable warriors who are also open to dialogue, using the proper channels." she inclined her head to him. "And I say again that we should at least try."

Felix interjected. "High Commander, surely you heard the human giving very strong threats to our forces?"

Desolas could see her suppressing a smile. "All that shows is how much they seem to understand us, already. The humans can't appeal to our pity for a defenseless or indecisive enemy, we have none to give." despite the general words, he knew that comment had been directed straight at him. "If they had been all meek and humble, would you even consider a truce, Felix? How many people that have known turians for a lot more time still don't get this?"

The general was about to make his own little speeches, when the meeting was interrupted by a priority call from the cruiser's CIC. "General Arterius, sir! We are receiving a hail from the planet! They claim to be one of the… Ghosts, sir."

Slacked mandibles could be seen in many faces. Perhaps this was not wholly unexpected, but it was still surprising.

Desolas wanted to evict everyone from the room, but that would not be justifiable. "Have we got their location, operator?"

"We have, sir. The signal's source is stationed a long distance to the south of the dome."

"Very well, please send the call to this room. I want sensors on that signal as soon as possible."

"Understood, General."

He addressed his officers. "My friends, I ask that you remain silent unless I give you permission to speak." he received nods of agreement from everyone.

A blue light on the suite at the table indicated that they were now receiving the transmission. Besides a faint sound of static, there was silence.

Eventually, he was forced to speak. "Greetings, friend. To what do we own the pleasure?"

"General Desolas Arterius." spoke the voice. This one was very unlike any others they had heard so far, albeit they had admittedly only heard two. It was softer and high-pitched, a female's voice. Like the first alien's, her words came in perfect turian speech. There was even the flanging undercurrent that could convey some emotional messages, and which were absent during translations of non-turians. "Greetings to you, as well. I'm contacting you on behalf of the Ghosts of Shanxi to make a proposition."

He clasped his hands and leaned forward. "I believe your other member stated you would not parley with me?"

She was unfazed. "And I will reiterate that we do not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the Systems Alliance. I will also reiterate that they would be open to diplomatic solutions, if given fair terms that assure human autonomy and the safety of our civilians. But this isn't about peace treaties, General Arterius. This is about a temporary accord between our forces. It you accept it, it will give us both time to better consider more level-headed actions."

"I see…" Desolas looked at the others. Vakarian was giving him a particularly piercing gaze. He knew she was watching his every move, and any words spoken here would go straight to Command. "Very well, I'm listening."

"Excelent! By now, I believe you already have the location of this transmission. When you get your sensors in position, you will discover that it's coming from the vicinity of a row of tall hills next to a medium-sized lake. At the side of one of those hills, you will find a large opening where right now twenty-five of your soldiers wait for extraction."

Now there was surprise in the faces of every turian. _That _had been completely unexpected. "Forgive me, friend. But that is a little hard to believe."

"Of course. Why don't you see for yourself?"

The transmission was interrupted by another call from Comms. "General, they are sending a video feed now. It's… it's something you have to see, sir."

"Have we got cameras over it yet?" the general inquired.

"Drones are en-route. From what we can see so far, it appears to be close to a large body of water."

"Good. Keep at it, soldier. Send us the feed."

"Yes, sir."

A large screen raised smoothly from the center of the table. The images it showed were amazing.

Just like the voice had said, inside a large opening at the base of a cliff, many legionnaires could be seen huddled closely together. They were all seated on the bare ground. It was impossible to discern their expressions, but the fact none was standing brought concern, even if no injuries could be seen. They had been stripped of their armors, and were only wearing their undersuits, but the thick and comfortable meshes were designed to function as clothing.

"I'm afraid the methods we used to incapacitate them can leave short-term impairments to their bodies. But you will soon find out that they will all regain perfect health, given time."

Desolas took a moment to speak again. "You realize this sounds too much like a deception, yes? You have proven capable of easily taking out our landing vessels. This could be just a ploy to get a few more. Or perhaps to bring some of your traps inside my ships."

"It could be." she agreed easily. "Or it could be an honest attempt at a trade of favors. I guess you will have to weigh the risks, General."

He nodded. "Very well, let us suppose it is true. Where are the rest of my people, and what do you want in exchange for this… mercy?"

"It's very simple. You take these soldiers back as a gesture of goodwill. Then, you agree to three days of cease-fire. If no turian forces make moves on the planet during that time, we will reveal another location where twenty-five more soldiers will be waiting for rescue, in the same conditions you see here."

Desolas' hands clenched. "And you will do that until you have given them all back?"

"If you keep respecting these terms, why not? Truth is, we can't keep them for much longer. As your ground forces already found out, this is a levo-chirality planet. We can't care for your people indefinitely. In the meantime, we will keep the rest of your soldiers in some very comfortable, very warm, very _exposed _buildings at our settlements inside the dome." she finished the last part in a cheerful voice.

He heard the _Lance's _commander choke almost imperceptibly. The man had clearly not considered the possibility that random strikes against the barrier could end up killing over two hundreds of their own people. On the other side of the table, Vakarian had her hands in front of her mouth and seemed to be holding back another smile.

The general tapped a talon on the metal surface. "And so, you use my legionnaires as hostages to delay us, while your homeworld gathers the rest of your ships to come here?"

"You could also see this as the opportunity to send for those diplomats my friend talked about? Neither of us needs to lose more people in this conflict, General. You want to smash the Alliance's military infrastructure to pieces. We _will _break any force larger than a couple of transports that you send down here, and perhaps get a few more prisoners in the process. Both of us have showed we can do these things already. So, this leaves us with a simple choice: do we agree to a temporary truce, or do we keep wasting equipment and personnel? You know our preference."

As everyone watched him, Desolas considered his options. He could not bombard the inside of that… Shroud blindly, and the supposed POWs were the least of his reasons. Denied the use of his overwhelming firepower, and with the risk that any large ground force would be taken out in minutes, he had no leverage against these people. He knew next to nothing about them, while they knew a lot about him. At this moment, his best hope was a smaller, covert force. But he had no objectives, and no targets. Information was the key here, and the turians still had precious little of it.

In the end, accepting the aliens' proposal cost him little except for the possibility of losing another shuttle. Time worked for both sides here. The prisoners could give him information, and he could wait for another opportunity to present itself.

"I will send a transport to gather the soldiers. Further agreement will depend on their condition." he said, finally. He allowed a cold tone to seep into his voice. "I warn you that any attempt to betray us will have most severe repercussions."

Both her overall tone and her sub-harmonics told them she was taking his words very seriously, but was not intimidated. A show of both confidence and respect that would earn the humans even more merit with his people. "Of course, General. Your soldiers are waiting. I would hurry, though. They are a little underdressed at the moment and Shanxi is on the more frigid side of the spectrum. I believe you people favor warmer lands. Good day to all of you."

As the transmission ended and officers started to murmur amongst themselves, he saw Vakarian lean towards Victus and speak in a normal voice. "I like her."

Ignoring the woman, Desolas' mind went to the report we would send to Palaven Command. He would have to paint this picture very carefully. He _needed _to keep this siege going. Vakarian was right; his people respected strength, respected self-assurance. Above all else, they respected the willingness to stand up against an enemy until the end, no matter the odds. As things stood right now, Command would seriously consider sending a diplomatic effort. Especially if this latest development proved true.

On the other hand, he could not make things look too grim. Any reinforcements Palaven sent would most likely have a High General at its front, and that would mean Desolas would no longer be the one calling the shots.

And that would be unacceptable.

* * *

"I'm telling you, man! Flicker found it yesterday and it's the real deal. Are you in or not?"

"I don't know, Les. What if the soldiers catch us?"

"They don't use that passage anymore, it's a dead end to them. It will be fine, don't be a pussy."

"I'm not! It's just that…"

"What are you reprobates whispering about in here?"

Lucretia glared at the young men who were huddled together at the back of the tent. They were both startled, but the larger of the two recovered very quickly and snarled at her. "Fuck off, Bhatia! This doesn't concern you!"

She just scowled even more. "If it involves doing something the Marines would disapprove of, you can be damn sure it concerns me, Lester."

He got up and stood right in front of the girl, looking down at her. He was a large guy, a head taller than Lucretia. But for all of his imposing physic, Lester Gusman was all muscle and little sense.

"Oh, I forgot! You're spreading your legs to one of them jarheads now, aren't you?" he said with a leer.

She was not impressed in the slightest. Not by his size and not by his words. "Why, _Lessy_? Is that jealousy in your tongue? If you want to spread your legs too, I'm sure some other strapping soldier would be happy to accommodate you."

His face twisted, and he advanced on her. "Bitch!"

_"Too easy."_ she thought. Moving as well, she dodged the clumsy strike and got one leg between his own. A swift hit to the inside of a knee put him off-balance, a sharp push with her elbow and the big retard was face-first on the ground. Before he could rise, she had one knee on his spine and one of his arms in that nasty hold Harry had taught her. The slightest movement caused great pain, and could easily snap a bone.

"Newsflash douchebag, working out every day doesn't mean you know how to fight."

"Get the fuck off me!" he tried to sound all tough, but there was an audible whimper in the order.

"First, you listen very well to what I'm going to say. I don't know what kind of half-assed mischief you are planning, but this isn't a fucking vacation. There's a whole bunch of aliens up there who want our blood, and the last thing we need is a gang of idiots making trouble down here. So I'm going to keep a close eye on you, and the moment I see you doing anything wrong you're going straight to a brig. Got it, Lessy?"

"Please, Lucretia, let him go." came the soft voice of the second would-be conspirator.

She looked up into his distressed face. He was almost as tall as his 'friend', but nowhere near as built. He was wringing his hands and looking nervously from them to the tent's entrance. They were alone at the moment.

She glared at him, too. "I don't suppose you want to tell me what this is about, Jerod?"

He debate with himself for a second. A warning snarl came from the young man beneath her but a quick tug turned it into a whine. It seemed to make up the younger boy's mind, though.

"It's nothing Lucretia. Just a stupid prank we were going to play. It won't happen now, right Les?"

All he did was grunt.

She looked at Jerod for a few more seconds, but it seemed that was all she would get from him. With a derisive snort, she released the well-dressed ape and got some distance between them. He raised slowly, massaging his arm all the time and sending her a baleful look that she ignored. "Get out of here, Gusman."

He seemed ready for round two, but Jerod spoke. "C'mon, Les. If we make any more ruckus, someone will come in here."

"Fine, let's go. Bitch isn't worth it, anyway."

He strode out glaring at her all the time. Jerod sent her an apologetic look, but left with him.

Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she went to her cot and sat down. Perhaps goading Gusman had not been the smartest thing to do, but Lucretia was just as stressed as any other person with their prolonged confinement. Even if she fully understood and agreed with the measure. She had not realized just how much pent-up frustration she was carrying until now.

She was still lost in thought by the time Avani came back, her little brother in tow. The woman was in a good mood, but it was replaced by concern when she saw her daughter's expression. "Something wrong, dear?"

Lucretia sighed. "Just had a run-in with Lester Gusman. He's up to no-good."

"He's a mean bully!" said Samesh, fiercely. "Always trying to order everyone around."

She gave him a smile and ruffled his hair fondly. "That he is, half-stuff." while the boy grunted good-naturedly and tried to fix the damage, she looked at her mother. "Gusman is just a fool. What really gets to me is Jerod. That guy is a tech wiz and can make himself into one hell of an engineer if he wants, but he wastes his time running around with the wrong crowd."

Avani sighed, sitting down beside her daughter and bringing her son close, where she proceeded to put his hair back in proper shape. "We don't have other boys your age at Green 14. I think he is just trying to fit in. But I will have a talk with Mr. Flint tonight."

"Don't know what good it will do, but it's better them nothing." she paused for a moment, before asking again in a lower tone. "Any news from Harry?" their neighbor had not made his usual appearance last night. But earlier he had given them a datapad to where he could send messages, but only when needed. He had sent one apologizing and saying that he was fine but in the middle of something that could not be interrupted. When that something could very well be a firefight though, the reassurance did not make them any less anxious. They never asked exactly what he was doing, trusting the Voyager unconditionally, but a couple of times he came back looking on the brink of exhaustion and it had them worried.

Avani apparently had news on that front. "He sent me another message. He says everything is fine and that he managed to sort things out with his problem. But he also said that he had a meeting tonight, and again will most likely not be able to come."

"Hum…" they had long ago realized that 'I'm fine' was Harry's default response to any questions regarding his health or state of mind.

"Harry will be all right. He's is tough for real, not like Guslime who is all talk." said Samesh, with confidence.

Lucretia laughed and ruffled his head again, earning a 'tisk' from her mother. "I know, half-stuff. I know."

* * *

It was dim inside the large tent. Only a single lantern illuminated the many cases and crates that filled the space almost completely. This lantern was beside a man who sat relaxed upon a folding chair, legs crossed, smoking a cigarette and reading something on a datapad. He appeared to be in his late thirties, and wore utilitarian clothes covered by a brown jacket. A heavy pistol rested on his belt.

Harry had checked, twice, and confirmed that the man was alone. He also confirmed there were no electronic devices inside the tent besides the datapad on the man's hands, an auricular implant on his left ear, and his gun. In any case, Astrid had already blocked his devices, and a couple of quick spells made sure no passerby would disturb them. That taken care of, the wizard stepped out from the corner where he had been standing for the last fifteen minutes, and into the circle of light.

"Mr. Harper."

The operative was not startled. He glanced up from his reading, took in the wizard's appearance, and smiled. Putting out his smoke and leaving the datapad on a crate, he got up and took a step forward, still a non-threatening distance away.

Now that he was so close, Harry could feel the Magic upon the man. The invisible force that both shielded and restrained him. He did not bothered with illusions for this meeting, besides a voice-masking charm. This man would see straight through them.

Grey eyes met amber glasses for a few seconds, before he spoke. "So, your Sylphid did pass on my message. Fantastic beings, they are. Living freely on any digital medium. Traveling the world unencumbered by flesh." fascination could be clearly heard in his voice.

"Actually, Mr. Harper, they tend to identify very strongly with the objects they choose to inhabit." said the wizard, keeping his own voice neutral.

"You tell him!" exclaimed his companion. "I'm the fastest and prettiest bird in these skies."

"That you are, girl." he spoke inside his mask.

Harper blinked. "Oh… I see. Of course, if you have the body of a toaster, then you _are _a toaster. It's an interesting point of view."

"Dickhead."

He shook his head, getting back on track. "I could try to tell you how unexpected it was for me to see that dome, but I would not do it justice. Meeting a living human wizard was the very last thing in my list of miracles when I left Arcturus."

Harry observed him. Harper was meeting his 'eyes' openly. He must have known, or at least suspected, what that could mean, but there was not a shred of hesitation in his gaze.

"You are a soldier, even if an unofficial one. Not the kind of person who would normally be chosen as Custodian." Harry kept his tone light, he was not trying to accuse. But it was a big divergence from what he learned in Hermione's journals.

Harper gave another smile, not at all offended. "Ah, but I was not always a soldier, Mr. Wizard. In my youth, I was quite the academic. Applied Engineering and Administration, at the same time. Wanted to open my own company, you see, a multinational to rival the likes of Ashland Energy and Aldrin Labs." he shook his head with a small laugh. "Life had other plans. But it was in Engineering School that I became very close to one of my mentors. Perhaps you've read about him? Prof. Antonio Calissari, world-famous scientist and inventor."

He gave Harry a conspiratorial wink. "He was always talking about his late wife. A great woman, he said. A _special_ woman. I didn't know just how special she was until the professor passed his Secret to me, only one year before he went to join her."

"I see…" Harry gave a small sigh. "And what about the others?"

"They are around." Harper shrugged. "Most on Earth, a handful outside of it. We lost a few, unfortunately. Accidents or just plain stubbornness kept them from choosing their successors."

"I'm sorry, Harry." Astrid told him for what must have been the tenth time in the last days. "I can't keep track of these guys."

_"I know, girl. I know."_

Aloud, he said. "I will be honest here, Mr. Harper. I don't know quite what to make of you. While I admire your courage in exposing yourself like this, I must say that it was a very reckless move. You don't know anything about me."

The man took a few steps to the left and leaned against a pile of crates, arms crossed. His eyes never left Harry.

"I don't know any specifics, that's right. I don't know your name or your past. I have no idea how you have gained your powers or if you have managed to somehow stay alive for so long after the Sundering. I don't know why you decided to hide away from the Custodians, as you clearly know about us. And I don't know what you plan to do after this is over."

"What I _do_ know is that you could have very easily taken a ship and left this planet before the aliens came. I know that you have used a device that was sure to reveal your existence even after you spent so long in hiding. I know that you had your Sylphid protect the Alliance systems from any harmful effects and most likely intervene if the enemy came too close. And I know that you decided to risk your life fighting a battle that doesn't truly concern you."

"Even if all of humanity was defeated and enslaved, you could have avoided all the mess. But you chose to expose yourself and fight for us. More, you chose to fight in a way that would protect as many of us as possible. That tells me a lot about who you are, Mr. Wizard, and it makes me confident that you will not simply kill me to cover your tracks."

Harry tilted his head, pondering the man's words. Sharp, indeed. "I could be just a cocky bastard who figures he can take an entire race all by himself, and thinks all you non-magicals are just incompetent savages."

"You could be." Harper shrugged easily. "But I don't believe so."

Both men went silent for a minute, just watching each other. Eventually, Harry sighed again, took out his wand, and conjured a comfortable armchair.

He was taking his seat and watching as Harper looked captivated at the temporary magical object. The man did not comment on that, though. "If I may ask, and I will understand if you refuse to answer any of my questions, are there others?"

Harry took a second to think. "I'm the only wizard on Shanxi."

Harper also did not comment on this obvious half-answer. "And did you gained your powers at birth? Do you know if the Sundering is being reversed?" for the first time, he looked a little anxious about the response. Harry could see a clear spark of hope in his eyes.

It was a hope he hated to dash, both for the man and for himself. "I'm afraid Earth's Living Magic is just as lost to us now as it was a century ago."

Harper slumped, and the genuine dismay Harry could feel from the man was surprising, to be honest. Harry had only ever met one other Custodian, and the results of that encounter convinced him to steer clear from the lot. Harper was very wrong to think that Harry could not harm him to keep his secret.

He would not be the first Custodian the wizard had killed.

"Why have you come to this planet, Mr. Harper?"

"Please, it's Jack." he said, walking back to his own chair. "And I believe your Sylphid has already shown you the files?"

"First of all, her name is Astrid. She doesn't really likes being called a Sylphid."

The man considered that. "Understood. A good name. I don't suppose you can give me yours?"

Harry's response was very dry. "Not at this moment, Mr. Harper."

He nodded. "Later, then." he said, as if anything else would be impossible. "And anticipating your question, yes the files are not the whole story. But let me tell you right now that the most important part of it is the absolute truth. We came here to help fight this invasion. We are ready to do whatever it takes to keep the colonists of Shanxi safe. Please, never doubt that."

The wizard just nodded, waiting for the man to continue.

"As for why _us _specifically? Well, modesty aside, we are some of the most skilled, meanest sons-of-bitches you will ever find. Assault, infiltration, intelligence gathering, sabotage, some wet work, we have done it all. Eva is the greatest pilot you will ever see, and she can do things with small arms that the devil himself would doubt. Ben is young, but he is the toughest bastard I know, a true walking tank. I once saw him take a shot to the neck and just keep firing. He is also a demolitions expert and can fight well with anything that can shoot, slash or smash."

He gestured to himself with another smile. Harry had already noticed that the man was very likeable. His smiles never came off as fake or out of place, and he spoke with a strong tenor that inspired confidence. "As for myself, I'm no slouch with a gun or a knife, either. My specialties are counter-intelligence and electronics. Like I said at the beginning, I have an official formation as an engineer. But there was another reason I was chosen to come here, something that only a very small number of people could do. And out of all of them, I was the only one really qualified to be on a battlefield."

It was then that Harry finally understood. Of course. How could he have not considered this before? He should have thought about it sooner. He had been so focused on himself, he did not realized it was really not surprising to see a Custodian on Shanxi, after all.

"Well, fuck my engines!" it seemed his companion had realized it, as well.

"You were sent here _because _you're a Custodian. To verify if the turians could use magic."

He nodded again. "Right in one, Mr. Wizard. An invasion by a technologically superior force would be bad enough. If they could bend reality to their will on top of that? We needed to know as soon as possible. There isn't all that much we could _do _about it, of course, but every bit of additional data counts."

Harry leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on his legs. "Well, I can tell you that I've found no evidence of magic use by the turians, so far. It doesn't prove they don't have their own spellcasters. But if they exist, they don't seem to be known by the general society."

"I see. I will take your word for it. You're far more qualified to know about these matters than me, anyway. Custodians are all we have, so there were little options left to us."

"Who are 'we', Mr. Harper? The other Custodians?"

The man got into the same position as the wizard. He was silent for a moment, likely pondering how much he should reveal. And yet, he still met Harry's gaze head on.

In all honesty, Harry was not all that good at Legilimency. It was one of the few magical fields he just could not excel at. Like his trainer at the Auror Academy had said, it was not about time or effort. Mastering the skill required a natural disposition that some people just did not possessed. He was competent enough to read emotional states and surface thoughts. He could always know when someone was lying or otherwise trying to deceive him. But that was about it.

Occlumency, though? Now that was something he found out he could do _very_ well. Still, Harper did not knew any of that.

"When the Prothean Archives were found…" the man finally decided on what to tell. "…humanity's major armed forces came together to create the Alliance Navy in order to protect us from possible threats. But aside from the military, we still remained divided on almost all other fronts. Centuries of petty conflicts and protectionism can't be erased in just a decade. Humanity is still separated in hundreds of different nations. The U.N. never could act as the unified voice of Earth, and the Alliance is mostly a figurehead political body at this point."

"And it's not just politics. Companies hoard their resources and expertise jealously. Scientists wait years to patent their inventions and researches before making them available. The general public is all too willing to follow this or that celebrity's opinions. Corporate fighting and espionage is a silent war that most people are never aware of. While competition and different points of view are fundamental for progress and a free civilization, the way we have been doing it causes just as much harm. Everyone is out for themselves, first and foremost. _When _we finally met our galactic neighbors, chances were that they could be far more advanced than us. If that happened, even if our relations were peaceful, such a divided and self-centered humanity would be at a great disadvantage."

Harper got up from his chair and started to pace. With his back to the lantern, his face was cast in shadows almost constantly. Sometimes, the grey of his eyes were the only thing that could be seen.

"Some people understood that. And they are trying to do something about it. I'm not talking about mastermind conspiracies here, Mr. Wizard. No New World Order. No fancy names, occult symbols or secret codes. No dimly lit room full of sinister old men deciding what new puppet they should put on that chair at the Oval Office."

"I'm talking about a group of influential but law-abiding friends who thought they could pool their resources and intellects together to strengthen our people. These friends brought in some other friends, who brought others, and the group grew larger. Politicians, scientists, C.E.O.s, and yes, even some high ranking military officers. Most of it is very informal stuff. A sharing of resources here, a joint research there, an agreement not to compete in the same markets. No ranks or hierarchies, though some voices do echo for longer than others, naturally."

"Right now, those people are doing what they can to speed up Earth's response. Our politicians are putting pressure on governments; owners of media outlets are trying to sway some public opinion; all the data sent by the defensive flotilla is being studied without rest. Money for R&amp;D is ready to be throw around in amounts that you wouldn't believe. The Alliance Navy is already mobilizing their forces, even without the explicit approval of Earth. And when the fleets are gathered, they will come to this planet no matter which President's or Prime Minister's or mewling dictator's little feelings are hurt."

"In peace or in war, we will show these turians and those other nameless races that humanity will stand strong against all that would threaten it. And yes, many of the Custodians are counted among the network. We all know the danger we could be in if another race could use magic against us."

"Still sounds a lot like shadowy manipulators to me." said Astrid. Harry had to agree. He was very unsure about Harper's 'group'. Influencing politics? Controlling the media? Encouraging semi-legal military actions? It all sounded like the kind of power that could be horribly misused very easily. And even if it was all made with the best of intentions, he was sure it was not as 'clean' as the man suggested. But then again, who was he to judge? Had he not just wiped the minds of two hundred people in the last days? Had Astrid not been falsifying data for more than a week now? And had he not once swore to defend and uphold the laws of a society that routinely manipulated the mundane people who lived around it?

If Harper was to be believed, and Harry could detect no lies from him, then at least all that power was diluted among several actors, so they could keep each other in check. If it had been all concentrated in the arms of a handful (or even worse, a single person) with no accountability, then he could never bring himself to trust them. He knew that made him a bloody hypocrite, but it was just the way it was.

"And that…" the operative finished, stopping his pacing to stand right in front of Harry. "…is where you come in, Mr. Wizard. Right now, you and whatever others you might know out there are our only hope to match any supernatural forces the aliens might have. You are the only ones who could help us protect ourselves."

Harry reclined back in his chair. "And what if that isn't needed? What if humanity was the only race to have had magic users?"

Harper was looking intently at the wizard's masked face, voice filled with passion. "This isn't just about defensive matters. It isn't just about the power to defeat and kill. This is about all the wonders we can accomplish together. I know some of your history. I know your people had many failings. I think your society made a lot of bad choices before the Sundering. Perhaps things would have been different, otherwise."

Harry remained silent. He agreed.

"And yet, you have just as often embodied the highest virtues. Every time one of your 'Dark Lords' would appear, another of you would rise to challenge them. _Every time. _As a society, you never tried to subjugate us, to enslave us, even when we were nothing but hut-dwellers who threw shit in the streets. And after the Sundering? When we joined our efforts? My friend, until the discovery of Mass Effect, there had never been a time in human history when our people had accomplished so much. Without you, we might have never survived the food crisis at the beginning of the last century. You showed us the path to efficient fusion of atomic particles. Without that, it might have taken us another thirty years before we had working fusion plants, and Earth's environment might have been in a much worse state. Through your healers' insight, our medics learned how to fight all kinds of diseases once thought incurable. You revolutionized normal medicine! It was only by emulating your practices that Sirta created the medi-gel." he patted the little red dispenser on the small of his back. "How many millions of lives has this little compound saved through the years?"

He opened his arms. "You gave us so much. And in exchange, you asked us to help you find a cure for our planet's sickness. Find a way to save you from extinction." then his voice faltered and his arms dropped, along with his eyes. "And we couldn't do that. We failed you." the regret was genuine, of that Harry had no doubt. Harper got back to his chair and sat down, suddenly looking exhausted. The wizard did not know quite what to say. The man's speech and emotions had gone against all of his expectations.

He had to say something, though. "Your people gave us many things, Mr. Harper. We never knew so much about the nature of Magic until we started researching together. Without your help, our places of power would have been discovered and plundered. Our heritage turned into mere curiosities. When our society was fragmenting and turning against itself, you helped our governments keep order."

He did not mention all the troubles. All the demands and threats made by both sides. He knew the man was aware of all that, probably much more than himself. Everything he learned after awakening told him Magical and Mundane relationships had become very rocky, outside of the scientific circles. It would eventually lead the last magic users to the creation of the Resonance Orbs and the Sylphids, the founding of the Custodians of Magic, and their final, desperate ritual.

"And yet, it was too little, too late." Harper passed a hand over his face. Holding his forehead, he looked once more at the other man. His voice was tired, now. "I just don't understand why you never approached us in all this time. We swore to guard your legacy, to continue looking for an answer. We _are _still looking, you know? Most of all, we swore to protect and care for any magical being that could eventually be born. Maybe they are not Unbreakable Vows, but they have meaning, all the same. If you had just contacted us! I'm sure all of us would have been eager to help."

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "Not all of you."

Harper raised his head sharply, startled by the dark tone. He creased his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you me..." until a look of understanding dawned on his face. Followed shortly by one of utter dismay.

"Gaspard." he whispered, almost low enough that Harry did not heard him. "Good Earth, you contacted _Gaspard_, didn't you? Of all the…" he leaned forward. He spoke vary fast now. Harry felt his anxiousness, a desperate need for him to understand. "Listen, you can't take _anything_ that bastard might have said to you as our word. That piece-of-shit should have _never_ been a Custodian! Ever! If he wasn't such a powerful and well-connected man, we would have done something about him ourselves. Even when it meant another Secret was lost, all of us were relieved when he had that accid…"

He stopped abruptly, suddenly looking at Harry in a new light. The wizard kept silent, waiting for the judgment.

He was once again surprised, when the emotion he next felt from Harper was pure respect.

The operative spoke very slowly and clearly now. "Let me tell you something, I will not say it again; Jean Gaspard was a monstrous criminal, a corrupt and twisted man. A stain on our honor, and a blight on humanity's." Harry suspected Harper did not knew the half of it. The middle-aged multibillionaire had his darkest perversions buried very deep. The wizard still had the occasional nightmare about little bodies chained to walls.

He hated taking lives, but sometimes even Death felt too little. The Custodian's was one face he would definitely not forget.

"I'm very sure running his car off that bridge was just a tragic accident." Harper concluded. "But if it had _not _been, if it had been done by someone, that man or woman would have done us all a favor. And _nothing_ needs to be said about it anymore."

Another, much longer lull where both men kept their own thoughts. Eventually, Harry got up from his seat and Vanished his chair. "I believe we are done for today, Mr. Harper. I will think about all you have said. I will contact you on the next few days."

The operative also got up and approached him. "I will tell you the same thing I told Williams: no mission is too dangerous, no challenge too great. Whatever your plans are, we can help you. Both Eva and Ben are completely trustworthy. They will roll with the punches, and they won't ask questions. I won't pretend to know all of what you can do, but I have a good idea. I know that down here, inside the atmosphere, you can be almost invincible. But up there…" he pointed a finger to the roof of the tent. "…the story changes a little, yes? Still more dangerous than any normal soldier, I suspect, but much more limited."

Harry just nodded. No use in denying that.

"Don't worry about my other proposal, that's for later. What matters here and now is ending this siege. I can see you have been trying to force a stalemate with the turians. Make them consider talks, I suspect? I don't know if that will work, they don't seem all that inclined to a truce, from the data I have looked at. But I'm sure you have much more information about the way they think. In any case, every day they don't attack is another day for the fleets to arrive. I will try to calm Williams down about our 'helpers' and get him to direct more forces to the shelters."

Harry decided he needed to give the man something. Harper was being very open, and his passable skills at offensive mind-magics assured him the man truly believed everything he said. It was something he was going to do, anyway. "Something like that, I'm working on some fronts here. I will explain them to you if I decide to accept your assistance. In the meantime…" he pointed to the left wall. "Warehouse B-4, at Central's spaceport. Inside it, you will find a turian assault tank, a transport, a lot of drones, two laser batteries, a few computers, and about two hundred suits of armor and useful little gadgets called omnitools. Also, just about five hundred different small arms and a few heavy weapons."

The operative was just looking at him, completely astonished.

"You will also find some data disks which contain most of the information I have gained from… talking with a few prisoners and hacking into their devices. Estimated Fleet numbers, colonies and homeworlds. Full schematics on many devices and weapons; you'll find the personal shields particularly interesting. Also culture, customs, language and some history. Biology, too! Not only about the turians; about the other races. I recommend that you read it all very carefully. You should understand a little of what I'm doing and plan to do."

"Unfortunately, they don't keep things like navigation charts and ship blueprints on their personal computers, or any other really sensitive strategic information. There wasn't any officer high-ranking enough for me to find out what their High Command plans to do, besides speculation."

Still with a somewhat-disbelieving look, the operative asked. "I thought you had destroyed every vehicle at the base?"

The wizard shrugged. "I can repair most things just as easily as I can tear them apart. I've left a couple of fake carcasses on the camp along with a few spells. The vehicles are more for you to study than to use. I wouldn't try to use any of the stuff in this battle, really, except perhaps the guns. Hide them somewhere safe and give the stuff to R&amp;D later."

"Also," he said with a smile that went unseen, "I'll leave it to you how to explain all this stuff to Williams."

The other man coughed a half-laugh. "You're really throwing me to the lion here, you know?"

"Just remember that you volunteered."

"I guess I did." He shook his head ruefully, but there was also the hint of a smile. "I'll come up with something. Thank you, Mr. Wizard, this can really help us if we go to all-out war."

It was Harry's time to shake his head. "I think you'll see it very soon, Harper, but the bottom line is, we need to end this with an accord. Forget magic; the ordinary forces that the turians alone can employ against humanity are staggering. We have no hope of winning an all-out war against them."

Harper pursed his lips. Clearly, the idea did not sit at well with him. "Are you sure?"

"Almost four thousand." Harry said, simply.

"I'm sorry?"

The wizard elaborated. "The Turian Hierarchy has twenty-nine permanent Fleets, comprising something over two thousand and five hundred warships. Another thousand are scattered in various Groups. An additional five hundred are on lease to the Citadel Council, the galactic version of the U.N. which the turians are a part of. They have 34 dreadnoughts, alone. In a week, they could mobilize a thousand ships and carve a path straight to Earth. And every single one of those ships is superior to ours.

Harper's face was getting darker with each word.

"We have about 250 ships, and that's only because the Alliance has been receiving a war-time budget for the past eight years. I know there are plans to expand the yards, which would speed up production, but we won't be able to sustain that pace for long unless our economy gets a major boost. And in any case, they would never be ready in time to be of any help. We also have under 3% of our population joining the armed forces. About a third of the turian population is in active military service, and they are _all _required to serve for at least two years. So every single citizen knows how to fight. They are consummate warriors; they don't break ranks or surrender. They believe that if even a handful of turians are alive at the end of a war, then the war was justifiable."

He shook his head. "And that's only _one _race. They are not alone, and their friends have naval forces at least half as strong. All in all, if humanity picks up a real fight with the turians, humanity will lose. It's as simple as that."

The man paced to the front of the tent, and spent about a minute looking outside. Harry could see him gripping his pistol tightly, fingers clenching and unclenching around the grip. When he finally turned back, the hopeful Custodian was completely gone, and in his place was only the grim tactician.

"So what's our hope?"

"Read the files." he put up a hand. "Learn more about the turians, how they feel, how they think. They are _not_ humans, Harper, even if their military actions so far makes sense to us. And making them see sense isn't our only option. Like I said, I have some ideas. We will go deeper into them… perhaps."

"We will." again, that absolute conviction. The man extended his hand to Harry. "Whatever happens, thank you. You don't need to do any of this. Especially not at such a personal risk."

The wizard hesitated just a second, before shaking the offered hand. "There are thousands of innocents buried under this planet, Harper. To do anything else would be criminal."

"I wished more people thought like that, Mr. Wizard. I truly did."

Harry just shrugged, and went to leave. But before he did, an idea sparked in his mind and he turned to look at the operative over his shoulder.

"Harper?"

"Yes?"

"Just _how _good are you at hacking?"

The man tilted his head. "Without sounding like an arrogant ass? Good enough."

Harry nodded. "On those disks there're details on the turian's system designs. Study them. Also, some of those omnitools I mentioned are optimized for electronic warfare. Get familiar with their use."

A smile was slowly coming to his face. "I will."

"No promises, Harper. But it's best to be prepared."

* * *

"Twenty-five living legionnaires, just as promised."

Mavis Vakarian shook her head slowly, as she began to read the report Adrien had given to her. They were in her office, which also functioned as her personal quarters, on the fourth deck of the _Shadow. _Like almost every room on the ship, gunmetal grey and silver were predominant, but Mavis had decorated the space with many personal effects in more lively colors.

Mostly blue.

"Amazing. And a very big statement, too."

The First Officer nodded. "If they can afford to take our soldiers alive while still turning Talon Base into rubble, just what kind of damage can they do if they go all-out?"

"Mercy can be a much more effective show of power than ruthlessness. It's something many of us don't really understand. Killing is easy, anyone can do it. It's far more challenging to capture an enemy. I don't know if that was the only reason those soldiers were spared, but I don't believe so."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's just a feeling I have." she shrugged. "You have listened to the recording of the human's conversation." thankfully, it had been something Arterius could not keep secret. "You have heard his tone, the sub-harmonics we don't know how they can reproduce. There's _something _there…"

She got up from her chair and walked to a small drink dispenser on the wall. Privileges of the commander's quarters. Filling two metal cups with a sweet-scented beverage, she gave one to her officer.

"There was dislike towards our dear General. It was subtle, but you can hear it. But there was no derision when he talked about turians in general. A very slight resentment, perhaps, but no hate. More importantly, he didn't talk about us like strangers. No 'aliens', or 'your race' or 'your species'. But 'your people'. He called Arterius 'a man', not 'a turian'. And when he gave his threats, he said they would fight 'every turian that came _with the intent to harm innocents'_."

She took a sip. "There was a very slight emphasis on that phrase. Something I believe may have even been involuntary. I can't talk about the rest of the 'Ghosts', but that man? I have a feeling that man doesn't see us as anything different from his own people. Everything we know tell us we are the very first alien species humanity has encountered. But he felt… natural, addressing us. Not unnerved, not fascinated. Just… familiar."

Adrien pondered those words. "I didn't notice that. I will trust your instinct on this matter, Commander." he tapped a talon against his cup. "Do you know what I _did _notice? General Arterius sounded _really_ interested in that dome. A little beyond professional curiosity or tactical concern, in my opinion. And while the offer of a parley was not without merit, it's unlike him to do so. On top of that, it came right after the human's comments about 'ancient technologies'. I was ready to dismiss it as grandstanding, but the general seemed all too willing to buy it right there."

She nodded. That's why she liked Victus so much. "I've been getting a growing suspicion that this is more than a simple pacification to Arterius. I don't know what else it may possible be, but my gizzard has been screaming at me for days, now."

She once more took the report. She finished reading the details of the transport's arrival and the retrieval of the prisoners; no one interfered, as promised. In fact, not a single sign of the humans was found. Extensive and thorough examinations didn't reveal any kind of suspicious devices on the area or the released prisoners. Even the shuttle itself was checked, twice, while in middle air, before finishing the ascent to orbit.

Then she started on the health checks, and frowned. "What's this about 'physical and mental impairments'?"

"You remember the human female's words?" asked the man. "She told us there would be some 'short-term' effects. Turns out, she was downplaying things a little." He gestured with his cup. "The soldier's bodies don't show any sign of abuse. There are no suspicious cuts, incisions, or any other signs of invasive procedures. Every soldier was awake when the shuttle arrived. But they are all suffering from retrograde amnesia. Most don't remember many hours before the attacks, a couple have lost over a day. They have no recollections of what happened after, as well. One second, they were performing their duties. The next, they were waking up freezing on the hard ground, stripped of every piece of equipment they had. Only cybernetic implants were left."

"They are also all suffering from some kind of general physical debilitation. All their vitals are strong, but they are experiencing difficulty to concentrate and perform taxing mental tasks. It's extremely tiring to move, most can't walk unaided, and their coordination is shot to the Void. Whatever method the humans used to incapacitate them, or are using to keep them under, must be the cause of it. A very strong systemic shock is most likely responsible, whether it was some energy weapon or a biological agent is unknown. One of the medics noted that there are records of biotic attacks that can produce a similar effect, though for a much shorter duration."

"Another hint at biotics. I wonder if that's what it is? And the prognosis?"

"Good enough." he answered. "There's little sign of real damage to any organs. And they are already improving. Yesterday, they couldn't even feed themselves. Now they are eating unassisted, if messily. It's like they are recovering from a long illness. At this moment, there's no reason to suspect they won't make a full recovery in time. Their memories also seem to be returning very slowly. But they won't be capable of continuing this particular campaign. Unless their recovery speeds up a lot, it will probably be a couple of months before they can operate at the level a soldier needs."

"So we have soldiers who are alive and will most likely recover all their capacities, but who can't give us any information about the enemy or fight for the foreseeable future. Arterius must be loving this."

"Indeed. The General is going to send this group of captives with the next scout to Palaven. They can't stay here. If the humans return all of our legionnaires, we won't have the resources to care for them."

She finished her drink, putting the empty cup on her desk. "And what is the General's decision about the truce?"

"He has stated that we 'will keep the accord until another opportunity to strike presents itself, or the human's change their terms'."

She scoffed. "Of course. I wonder what Command will think of this new development."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Mavis looked at the large picture of Palaven on her wall. The humans had completely changed the rules of this fight. Most of her people had expected a common pattern: smash the defending fleet, siege the planet, destroy every target they could find, then route out the last defenders and secure the civilians. Instead, most of the enemy ships had left to parts unknown, after making them look like fools, and they found themselves without a clear target. When they went to secure a ground position, the humans swiftly proved themselves the masters of their land.

And now they were in a stalemate. Arterius couldn't risk an attack on the planet until he was sure at _what_ he should strike. And everything pointed out to the humans being unable to harm them at orbit. The Primarch and the High Generals would have to think very carefully about where to go from here. And they would soon be forced to inform the Council…

"They are making us look bad."

"Commander?"

She turned back to look at him. "You said it yourself, Adrien. The human mentioned the Council. It was casual, almost like an afterthought, but think about this: they know about the asari and salarians. The Citadel will find out about these events, most likely very soon. The humans are showing themselves as both willing and capable of neutralizing invaders. And yet, they spare our soldiers and say they are open to talks with our diplomats."

She pointed at him, then at herself. "Us? The moment we had a large human force defenseless, Arterius just blasted them to pieces. No hesitation. They are making us look savage and unreasonable."

Her First Officer nodded. "Whatever our motives before, we will now be seen as in the wrong. The salarians will go crazy with this new tech, but they much prefer to get what they want through commerce, or espionage. And unless they are threatened directly, the asari will _always_ try to make peace. Neither will support us. Unless things change drastically, this is already over. If Command itself doesn't call this off, then the other races will force them to."

She picked up a model of the _Shadow_ that she kept on her desk, tracing the toy's lines. "All it will take is time. The humans just need to hold on until then."

* * *

"Jerod, if you don't get your skinny ass up here right now, we're leaving you behind!"

"I can't get up this ledge! Can one of you guys give me a hand?"

"What are you, five? Man up and do it yourself!"

The young man sighed. Perhaps Lucretia was right; his friendship with Lester sometimes really seemed more trouble than it was worth.

Taking a deep breath, he put another foot on the rock next to him and with all his strength tried to grab a hold of the edge of the next elevation. It did not helped that the cave walls on that part of the tunnel were slightly humid and slippery.

A full minute later, an empty set of lungs, and not a few scratches, he finally brought himself up to the next level. He took a moment to look behind at the way they came. The narrow tunnel disappeared into the darkness like the gap of a monstrous throat, and he shivered. Swiftly turning his attention back to the front, he saw both Lester and Takami, also known as Flicker, inspecting a large fissure on the rock that looked to be covered by some wet and green blanket.

Even from his distance, he could feel the very slight breeze.

"These are just some roots." said Flicker. "Give me the knife, Les."

"Here." the bulky youth passed the improvised tool, made up from plastic tubes and a metal sheet. Gusman had said 'there was no way in hell he would walk around unarmed, while the Alliance assholes could just shoot them at any moment'. Jerod had no idea why the young man hated the soldiers so much, but he was not foolish enough to ask.

The smaller of the two begun to cut the thick plants away. The job took many minutes.

Flicker had been exploring the many side passages of their shelter, when he came across a wall that had crumbled very recently. It was located in one of the more out-of-the-way tunnels. He immediately informed Lester, and both boys proceeded to disguise the opening for later exploration. The idea of 'sticking one up' on the stuffy soldiers and colony officers had been too good for them.

They also wanted to prove to everyone that the so-called invasion was nothing but a ploy from the Alliance to look like heroes and gain more political clout. There had not been a single sign to suggest a battle was ongoing at the surface, and many other refugees were beginning to doubt there was any danger at all. Even with official news that the defense fleet had been run off from orbit and the planet was under siege.

They had both talked him into the action. He was not sure he believed the Alliance would lie to them all like that, but it had just felt so _good _to be included. Unfortunately, they had to wait days for an opportunity to slip out. Lucretia had been true to her promise; she had watched them like a hawk, and even roped her little brother into it as well.

"There! We can pass now!"

"Awesome, dude. C'mon, I can't wait to feel some wind on my face."

Jerod reached them as Lester had just squeezed his large frame through the narrow opening. Flicker winked at him and followed. With a last look at the tunnel that they had spent almost three hours to traverse, Jerod pushed through the slimy roots.

It was night. Blessed, dark night. Not the darkness of a cave, but of the open sky filled with stars. The wind ruffled his hair and the soft, wet ground felt wonderful under his feet. The buzzing and clicking of little insects was a symphony after two weeks of nothing but tense voices and hushed whispers.

The tunnel came out into a large clearing at a marsh. The tall grass extended for a long way around a large nearby river. The twin glows of Zhou and Tang cast their pale illumination over the darkened land. A few dozen meters behind them, the landscape slowly turned into a swamp. Lester and Flicker were walking around laughing, jumping and screaming to the winds.

For a moment, Jerod closed his eyes and imagined nothing was wrong. That they could just walk back to their homes at Green 14, and to whatever they were doing before this nightmare started.

But his friends had other ideas. "Hey, Jerod! Get over here! Let's put up the camp!"

Snapped out of his daydream, he flushed before taking out his backpack and walking to them. The plan was to mount up a 'base of operations', from where they could explore the countryside. They all had cameras and they would be recording everything. Their ultimate objective was to reach a nearby Settlement.

For a time the three were mostly silent while setting up their small tents. Flicker's mother had taught him many survival techniques. After going to the nearby swamp, armed with the knife, the young man soon had a big fire burning merrily on their clearing. Lester had also pilfered some of the strong battery-powered lamps used inside the shelters. They put the lamps on a wide circle around their camp, so as to cover as large an area as possible in the light. The two older boys were not worried about any Alliance soldiers seeing their camp. Lester said it would just let them confront the deceivers earlier.

The three sat down and started trading rations and stories. Well, Lester and Flicker did. Jerod was just content to be out of the cave, resting against the soft earth.

In the pitch blackness of the night, their camp must look like a small star.

* * *

"I hate this plan, Harry."

"I know, girl."

"I _hate _it. Every single part of it. What if one of those people decides to stab you in the back?"

"I won't be exactly powerless, Astrid."

"But nowhere near your usual strength." she retorted, voice a little angry. "These guys are all professional killers! All it will need is for you to get a little distracted!"

Harry was at the Refuge, once more preparing a selection of gear. They had been arguing about this for three days now.

"I will check their intentions before we leave, girl. And Harper, at the very least, can't deliberately bring me harm unless in self-defense. His Secret won't let him."

"It's still too risky! And that's only the humans who _might _attack you. What about the _three-hundred _turians who most certainly will?"

He sighed, checking his pistol again. "This isn't the first time I'm doing this, girl. The idea is to not be seen at all."

That did not made her any less worried. "You'll have to break cover at times. What will you do if they catch you?"

He chuckled, putting the gun away. "Aside from the fact our little truce with the turians may go supernova? I will run as if my arse was on fire. And I guess the old battle rod will be getting quite the workout." he twirled said implement, the light-blue crystal glinting in the light.

There was a minute of silence. Harry busied himself with his preparations. When she next spoke, her voice was small and soft.

"I won't be able to watch your back. I won't know if you are all right."

He paused, and took a deep breath. "Girl, I understand. Really. I'm sorry for putting you through this, all of it, but we can't keep waiting around. We have been keeping this little respite with the turians for a week. At any moment, Arterius might decide to make another push."

Their proposal with the prisoners served many purposes. One of them was to allow Harry the chance to leave Shanxi for a short while. After the third group of prisoners had been returned, they knew the general was at least pretending to follow their agreement. But who knew how long that would last?

"But _do_ we need to do it?" she pleaded. "By Harper's estimations, the Second Fleet could be here in another week."

The wizard shook his head. He grabbed two empty pistol magazines and put them besides a small wooden cup. The recipient was half-filled with a clear liquid. "And when they arrive, we will have another space battle. One that could undo everything we have been trying to accomplish here. And the turians might receive reinforcements of their own at any moment."

He took the small knife besides the bowl. Putting his other hand above it, he made a quick slash, and crimson blood poured freely from the cut and into the recipient. With not even a grimace, he kept the flow going for a few seconds, until the cup was full. Then he traded the knife for his wand and healed the wound.

"I just… I… please, be careful, Harry."

"I will be. I don't plan on dying today, girl."

He waved around the cup with his wand, speaking softly. The content started to circle along with the tip of the focus. After a half-minute, he put the tip just against the rolling surface. The liquid stopped spinning immediately, and with a hiss it went from the previous red to a brilliant gold.

"I'm receiving the call from Harper, Harry." she said, voice still a little despondent.

"Patch him through. Thank you, girl."

The voice of the Custodian came to his ears. His face also appeared on a screen in his visor. "Mr. Wizard! Good to hear from you again. Your Sylp… I mean Astrid told me you had a job for us as soon as we were available?"

"That's right, Harper. How are you coming along with those omnitools?" Harry picked up the cup and filled the two magazines with the golden liquid. He wanted to have some extra ammunition on this particular joint.

"I think I have a good enough grasp of them. Hacking into a turian computer is not all that different from doing it to one of ours."

"Good. And are you available?"

The man shrugged. "Sure. Not much for us to do down here, to be honest." he chuckled. "I think most of the Marines are actually hoping for an attack at this point."

"And I hope to disappoint them, Harper." cleaning away the mess, the wizard then went to put on his own appropriated omnitool. It was one of the simpler models, as Astrid had explained to him in no uncertain terms that the more advanced combat functions could only be properly used by people with extensive training.

He only needed it to access turian systems and for the built-in translator, anyway.

"So, what's our mission?"

"Oh, nothing too much, really. I just felt like breaking into one of the turian cruisers today."

A moment of silence. The operative blinked once, then twice. "You… you can _do_ that?"

Harry finished packing. He was ready. "Not by myself, I couldn't. But it just so happens that someone said I had three mean sons-of-bitches to call for help, if I needed."

Still with a disbelieving look on his face, Harper spoke. "All right, we're game. But you'll have to explain that very slowly to me before we go, Mr. Wizard. And in any case, what is our goal?"

"That's simple, Jack." his smile went unseen. "There's this lass up there, name is Mavis Vakarian. I really need to have a private chat with her."

* * *

"We have a visual, General!"

"Excellent, soldier. What do you see?"

"Three humans, sir. And the point-precision scans confirm it; there's a large opening near them which extends for a short way in the direction of the dome, before it goes too deep for the sensors to follow."

They had long realized the planet was full of natural tunnels, which probably led to the hiding places of the human civilians. The problem was that there were _too many _of them. It would be impossible to search each one. Certainly not with the equipment they had.

Commander Felix shook his head. "After all these days in hiding, they put up a light show at night? Right next to a passage to the underground? This could be a trap, General."

"A trap to gain what, my friend? A few more prisoners? What purpose would that serve? No, I think this is a mistake, one we would be remiss to not take advantage of."

The general went to his platform. "But our 'Ghost' friends could still be down there, true enough. And that is why I have to send our best."

"What about our accord with the humans, sir?"

"Nothing but a delaying tactic, and we all know that. We need information, Felix. We need something to bargain with the humans. Some way to bleed them. I will not let this opportunity pass us by."

Reaching his station, Desolas opened a channel to another room on the _Penitent Justice._

"Saren?"

The answer was instantaneous. The low and creeping voice of his best operative was clearly heard.

"Yes, brother?"

"Please, assemble your Cabal. I have a task for you."

* * *

ANs:

So, no action to speak of in this one. Just many conversations. Hope that doesn't disappoint. Still, we should have plenty of action in the next few chapters to compensate.

Harry and the turians come to an agreement, then they both decide to break it at the same time. Should be fun.

The number of reviews is starting to get too large for me to put responses in these ANs. I don't want them to get too long. I don't like it, and it messes up with the chapter's word count. My own frequent notes about changes already do that enough. So I have decided to only replay to individual critics via PMs. I apologize to all unregistered users or those who keep their PMs disabled, but your comments will have to go unanswered.

I'm officially extending the minimal update time for this story to once every two-weeks. Work and university take most of my days, and I do have other activities for my free time, other than writing. This chapter took especially long because I had exams to do the week after the last update.

In any case, a big thank you to all reviewers. I hope to hear your opinions on this chapter.

Until next time,

Fish


	8. Chapter 7: Up High and Down Below

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**.**

**Up High and Down Below**

**.**

**.**

**.**

He put his wand away, and waited.

"It itches." were her first words.

"You'll be back to your old self before you know it, girl. Are the Alliance systems all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything is green. Including me, apparently."

"You were the one who didn't wanted an Alliance shuttle. Something about this being 'the least ugly piece of junk inside this cave', I believe?"

"Shut it." she said, without any real rancor.

Harry chuckled and looked around once more. He was in front of his companion's brand new vessel; a quite fetching forest-green land rover. It was parked on a makeshift landing pad between a standard blue Alliance transport and a bright orange construction vehicle. All in all, it really was the most stylish craft in the hangar, after the brilliant red and gold of Astrid's original hull.

She hated it.

But there was no running away from that. Harry needed the V-51 for this trip, and Astrid needed to remain on Shanxi to keep guarding the Alliance systems. So, a temporary relocation had been necessary.

"Dickhead is calling you." she told him, sullenly.

"You should stop calling him names, girl. Patch him through."

She made no comment, but connected the Custodian. The man's face once more appeared on his visor, green foliage could be seen on the background.

"Evening, Mr. Wizard. We have arrived at the coordinates and are just waiting for you."

"Roger. Give me twenty minutes."

"Just one thing. What should we call you? While I doubt anyone besides a Custodian would jump to conclusions, 'Mr. Wizard' might still be pushing our luck a little too much."

Harry nodded. "How about…"

"Call him Ghost! He likes that!" Astrid's voice interrupted him, suddenly all cheerfulness. Judging by the look of surprise on Harper's face, she spoke on his end of the connection, too.

"Oh, for the love of…"

At his grumble, the look was quickly replaced by a serious expression, but Harry could see the hint of a sly smirk beneath it. "Ghost, huh? An interesting choice, but a little… overworked, don't you think?"

Astrid lowered her voice in a conspiratorial whisper. "Yeah, but you have to forgive him. He has this obsession with stalking people while invisible, you see. It can be a little creepy, actually."

The operative was _definitely _smirking behind the neutral mask. "I see… well, as long as he restrains it to the enemy, I guess it's fine. But we should keep an eye out if we get near any women's bathrooms."

"I will be on my guard, Mr. Harper."

"Whatever! If the two jokers are quite done, I have some work to do before we can get this thing started."

"Of course." Harper nodded easily, but his eyes were still laughing at him. "I'll go back to my teammates. You do what you have to do and I'll see you in… twenty, was it?"

"That should be it, Mr. Harper."

The Custodian sighed. "Really, it's Jack. And that goes for you too, Astrid. Anyway, I will see you in a few."

Call ended, Harry began walking through the few rows of vehicles back to his now much less extraordinary ship.

The hangar, one of two the Marines were using, was much less crowded now than it had been when the turian's siege begun. Thanks to the Shroud, Williams deemed an acceptable risk to use some of the vehicles to move people, equipment and supplies. It made for much easier management of resources between the many shelters and outposts, and allowed them to scavenge additional supplies from Central and some of the Inner Settlements. From what Astrid told him, Authority had badly miscalculated the estimated ration consumption of shelter 03. If the soldiers had been restrained to moving by foot while hiding from hostiles, the almost four thousand people inside those caves might have been in some serious trouble by now.

Of course, it was not perfect. Shelter 05 was completely outside of the Shroud's coverage, as was part of Shelter 04. It had been a painful compromise for Harry, especially as the Bhatias were allocated to 05. But 04 and 05 both served the Outer Settlements, and had only a little over a thousand refugees each. Shelters 01, 02 and 03 had almost fourteen thousand people between them, and 01 was the largest and located almost directly below Central. It would have been in great danger if the turians begun a sustained bombardment of the city. Not to mention the hundreds of people above who had not been evacuated in time.

But the shelter's habitable chambers were too deep to be scanned from orbit and Harry had made sure all the entrances were properly warded. It had been enough, so far.

"I'm never going to live that name down, am I?"

"No complaints! You dug up your own grave, mister."

"Guess I did." he sighed. "Right! Time for some work."

Arriving in front of his ship, he took out his wand. A swish and flick, a thought, _"Wingardium Leviosa",_ and the ship was floating in the air. Carefully, the wizard moved the craft out of its landing pad and onto a vacant one nearby. After it was deposited safely, he jabbed the holly wand towards it. _"Colovaria."_

The bright colors were instantly replaced by the darkest of blacks. Lastly, a few transfigurations disguised the more obvious customizations he had made to the ship's hull.

"I tell you, Harry, if there's even a scratch on my hull after you are done, I will play those noises teenagers call 'music' these days on your communicator for a year. Every time you go to sleep."

The wizard shuddered. She would, at that. "Understood."

Next, he took out a miniature V-51 and put it where his ship had been. Another spell reverted it to its true size, and he now had a very convincing replica of the original. Until someone entered it and realized it was just an empty husk, of course. But a couple of redirection wards would take care of that.

"And… finished!"

"Last chance to call this thing off, Harry." her voice was deadly serious now, any traces of cheerfulness or whining gone.

He just shook his head. "Astrid, we have been over this. We can't wait down here for the next attack, even if I could fend it off, and another space engagement could be disastrous. We need to at least try and resolve this situation before the Fleets arrive."

"…all right. Sometimes, I really wish Earth's last wizard was someone just a little less… ya know, stubbornly suicidal."

That made him smile. "I sometimes wish that too, girl."

"So, time to get to Harper and the toadies."

"Now, be nice to our new friends."

"Pfff."

Harry boarded the ship and took it out into the night, with Astrid making sure his departure went unnoticed. Just a few minutes later, he was landing a little ways from where the black ops team was waiting for him, in another of the Plateau's marshes. Trudging on the wet land by foot, he soon came to a clearing and found the three soldiers besides their own transport, all in full gear. The teammates tensed and hands quickly went to the grips of weapons, but a gesture from their leader had them relaxing once more.

The blonde Eva Coré was every bit as stunning in person as she was in a recording. But she had the poise of a fighter, and Harry could easily see the sharp mind behind the unabashed critical gaze she was directing at him. Ben Hislop, on the other hand, appeared much friendlier, a frank smile on his slightly boyish face. He was tall and solidly built, for sure, but was not some hulk of a man, despite Harper's description of him as a 'walking tank'.

The team's leader went ahead for introductions. "As I told you before, these are Eva and Ben. Two of the most competent operatives you will ever meet, and I can't think of anyone else I would rather have watching my back on a mission."

"Oh please, boss, you'll make us blush." Hislop laughed. "It would look horrible on me, but perhaps the lady here could afford to look a little less serious." he put a joking arm over said lady's shoulder. The woman did not comment on the jest and her expression did not change a bit, but she made no effort to remove his arm, either.

Harper chuckled and gestured at Harry. "This is one of the people responsible for taking out the alien's forward base and protecting Central Settlement from orbital bombardment. We will be aiding him on his mission today. Unless I specifically tell you to the contrary, you two follow his every order. He says 'jump', you ask 'how high', understood?" the instructions were for his benefit, Harry knew. He had watched as the two were briefed earlier.

Perhaps Astrid was right. He _was _becoming too much of a stalker.

Harper went on. "You will call him by his codename." he sent a quick look at Harry, and the wizard had to suppress a sigh. "Ghost."

Mercifully, neither one commented on it, and just nodded.

"It's an honor to meet you." he kept his tone friendly, but the effect was probably a little ruined by his mask. "I'm sorry, but time is of the essence, we must leave at once." he turned to the Custodian. "I see you have you brought the equipment I advised you to?"

"Yep." it was Hislop who answered. He patted his black chest plate. "Top-of-the-line EVA armor right here. From our own stash, rather than the Alliance's. No offense to their gear, of course."

The female operative spoke for the first time. Her voice was neutral, without being unfriendly. "We have a spare you could use, as well."

"Thank you, Ms. Coré, but that won't be necessary. My current uniform is fully EVA certified."

One sculpted eyebrow slowly rose in blatant disbelief. "Oh?"

Incredulity dripped from her voice, and Harry did not blame her for it. He knew he looked like some cartoon character to these people. He had an ancient-looking gun on his hip and a blue crystal rod on his back. Neither his brown trench coat nor the black leather that covered most of his body seemed like your typical space suit material.

"Really? You're sure, yes?" her teammate sounded more curious than skeptical. "I mean, is that even armor you're wearing? How tough is that leather?"

"Ben, no questions unless prompted, remember?" Harper admonished gently.

"No, it's fine." interjected the wizard. To the younger man, he said. "I'm very sure, Mr. Hislop, don't worry. As for the clothes, you can believe me when I say they are as tough as a dragon's hide."

"No shit? Awesome, then." Coré was still very much unconvinced, but made no further comment. Harper just chuckled.

Astrid spoke to him. "This guy sounds a little slow, but I saw him teaching some Marines how to make a proximity mine out of household supplies and common electronics. He knows his stuff."

"I think they are all very good at what they do, girl." to them he said. "Very well then, if you would all follow me."

He guided them through the traitorous terrain to his redesigned ship. When she got sight of the V-51, and realized exactly what it was, Eva Coré's face went from serious to borderline worshipful, very fast. It was an incredible change.

"Oh… My… God… she's beautiful!" she took a few steps ahead of the others. Hislop and Harper both had indulgent little smiles. "A Trailblazer! These are like… the chariots of angels!" she circled the ship, looking at every angle. She was almost babbling now. "Good gracious, the universe is _so _unfair. This is the second of these gems I have seen on this colony. The other one had some terrific mods, though. And I loved the hard red."

"I like her now, Harry."

"_Of course _you do."

His eyes were on Harper, though, and he could see the gears turning inside the man's head. Obviously, he had also seen the ship on the hangar before, but had not paid it much attention. He looked up at Harry sharply.

The wizard met his gaze. Harper was too smart, and knew too much, to believe this was just some coincidence. And now, a very quick search on the registries, or even a few questions asked around the base, would tell him the name of the ship's owner. But Harry was not too worried, which was why he had told him Astrid's name before. Harper would have left their first meeting with Harry reasonably sure he could be trusted, or he would not have left as himself at all. There were ways around a Custodian's mental protections that the last wizards and witches had not known about. And they could not have known because they were not… well, him.

It could also be considered a small test of the man's character, even if a poor one. After a moment, Harper nodded, and Harry nodded back. They had an understanding.

He went to the entrance hatch and opened it. "I assume you have cleared things up with the General?" he asked the lead operative.

Harper nodded again. "After much argument. We have clearance to go investigate the turian base more closely. Our transport has improved stealth features and the night would give us reasonable cover. Of course, your friends will now have to keep a convincing stream of status reports to Command and provide us with some adequate readings to bring back."

"That should not be a problem." Harry answered. He gestured to the opening. "Well, everyone hop in. Ms. Coré, I'm told you're a very good pilot. You will be taking us up today."

The woman seemed to vibrate in contained excitement. "Oh, you bet. A shame we can't afford to take her for a spin with the birds gazing down." she hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry, I need to ask this: just how are we going to leave atmo and get near one of the cruisers without being impaled by point-blank defenses?"

He regarded her for a moment. "To avoid detection in space, as you know, we have to take care of both the hull's emissions and the thrusters' heat signature. The thrusters you will know about soon, as for the hull, well…" curse it, they were going to realize it anyway. He spoke inside his mask. "Astrid?"

Without any warning, the spaceship vanished from sight completely. There was only an apparently empty stretch of soil where it once stood. If any of them had cared to take up other kinds of optical instruments, they would have seen nothing as well.

"Heh, look at them faces."

Coré was paralyzed in wonder, her stoic mask now completely destroyed. Harper already knew about this kind of spells, but there was still deep admiration on the man's grey eyes. Surprisingly, Hislop seemed almost unfazed, scratching at his chin with a thoughtful look.

"Now _that's _what I call useful. Honestly, I was thinking 'Ghost' was a silly codename, what with your awesome leather armor and blowing up the turians and stuff, but it makes sense now. Good one, man!" he slapped Harry's back enthusiastically.

"Ha!"

"..."

* * *

"Remember Saren, I need to know where that tunnel leads and I need the location secured for us, if possible. Get me any scrap of data you can, that's your priority. But I will trust your judgment, if you believe a greater opportunity presents itself."

"Of course, brother. I will not let you down."

"Lieutenant Arterius, we are in position." came the voice of their pilot.

"I know, Saren. Desolas, out."

He stood up from his seat, watching as the rest of his Cabal did the same. There would be no last-minute weapon checks here, every second they wasted was another second they could be detected.

"Open it." he ordered. There was not a sound in the de-pressurized compartment as the transport's large doors opened. At only a fraction of the normal atmospheric density, there was no wind to speak of.

The sight that greeted him was breathtaking. Below them, absolute darkness covered the planet's surface, their target too small to be seen by the naked eye from this high up. But on the distance, the system's star shone on the curve of the horizon, and its light slowly woke this alien world for a new day.

Saren liked dawns, both from the ground and from orbit. There was so much promise in the rising of a star. The beginning of a new cycle, a new day, a new fight. He had seen many such dawns already on his short career at the Fleets, and he had found that every planet or moon had its own splendor, which made every one unique.

He wondered if the humans could appreciate such a sight.

Turning back, he addressed the soldiers. "Follow the assigned order. Krelian, you can go when you're ready."

His Cabal brother nodded. With not a second of hesitation, he gave one step to the edge, and jumped into the emptiness. Nine others followed him, until only Saren and the pilot were left.

"Spirits be with you, Lieutenant." called the pilot.

"Of course." he answered, before taking his own leap.

And then he was falling, accelerating towards the vast black ocean that seemed an eternity away, but also all around him. A sense of vertigo made itself present, but he pushed it aside with the ease of practice. The holographic overlay on his helmet allowed him to keep track of his soldiers as they fell. They were all in the correct trajectories. A quick check, and all of them reported optimal conditions. Everyone was quiet, only the intermittent 'ping' of his altimeter broke the silence, as it counted down the many kilometers to the surface.

50,000… 40,000… 30,000… Saren knew they were falling faster than the speed of sound, piercing the thin air of the planet's stratosphere, but it did not _feel_ like it. Everything was serene, weightless, and he watched as the star on the distance was swallowed by the black horizon, until nothing more could be seen from its light.

There was turbulence now, as the atmosphere became exponentially thicker, and the drag became noticeable. A few thousand meters later, and there was their target. His display now showed him the approach vectors for their assigned landing zone. He saw his people maneuvering into position, and he followed.

As they reached the last thousand stretch, each soldier begun the deceleration process, using their own biotics to periodically nullify their mass for brief moments. Each time it felt like being struck with a giant's hammer, as the braking made him feel as if his organs were squishing together. But it was all within acceptable parameters. When he finally reached the wet ground, enveloped in a faint blue corona of dark energy, Saren landed as gently as if he had just jumped from a table.

He made a brief check. All of his kin had arrived safely. The whole jump, from leaving the transport at over 60.000 meters to reaching the surface, had lasted less than 10 minutes. It would have kept them hidden from their own radars, so they hoped it would avoid detection by the human's, as well.

Aside from the camp lights in the distance, the darkness of the night was unbroken. Passive enhanced vision was being used by everyone. The eleven legionnaires all wore their traditional dark purple armor. Only three yellow stripes on their helmets signified their status as biotic warriors.

"Spread out! You four watches the flanks. Kerrick guards the rear. Sahlia, climb up that rise and tell me what you see." he ordered, crisply.

His sister hurried to comply. In seconds, she had the scope of her sniper locked on the target. Their battle link let Saren watch the image on his helmet. "Three humans confirmed, Kabalim. All unarmored. One appears to be wielding a small bladed weapon. No other weapons visible."

"Acknowledged." from the data they had collected, these humans appeared very young. Possibly around war-camp age, which meant they could still possess some training, despite their stupid little fire suggesting otherwise.

"Let's not take any chances. They could still be bait. Meera, Krelian, Asha, with me. The rest stays here. Sahlia, keep them in lock."

His legionnaires complied without a word. His brother and sisters came to join him, and he guided them towards the human encampment at a fast crouch, _Crossfire _assaultrifle in hand. The high vegetation would probably have hidden their advance even in the daylight, now it was just overkill.

Coming within firing distance from the camp, Saren got into position to cover his fellows, while they went to the very edge of the foliage.

"Still no sign of other hostiles or hardware, little brother." told Krelian, carefully scanning the landscape.

He nodded. "Sahlia, eyes on that cave. You three, immobilize them."

His brother and sisters broke from the cover of nature and into the light of the camp. One of the humans, the smallest one who was using the pathetic excuse of a knife to cut some wooden branches, noticed them. But he could barely look surprised, before Krelian's body glowed a dark blue and, at a gesture, the boy was enveloped in light. The heavy mass-increasing field of the biotic Stasis locked his limbs in place, making it impossible to move. To his side, Asha did the same, but she created a whole bubble of dark energy around the other two boys, freezing both at the same time.

Meera turned to her and muttered. "Show-off."

Paralyzing fields in place, the three soldiers got behind the humans and secured their limbs in steel grips. When the Stasis ended seconds later, the largest and smallest humans immediately begun struggling, but were no match for the soldier's armor-enhanced strength. The last human did not try to fight, just slumping in his captor's arms with an expression that would indicate shock on an asari's face. The large human began screaming at them, curses most likely, but as he lacked a translator and the turians still did not have a human language on their database, it was just pointless drivel to Saren.

"Shut him up."

"With pleasure." a swift strike to the ribs, and the human was doubled over in pain, gasping for air. He had not broken anything, probably.

Looking intently at three set of terrified alien eyes, Saren spoke on his radio. "Secure the perimeter, someone deactivate those lights. Sahlia, stay in position. Nerik, come here and take care of these aliens." that done, he strode past the humans without another glance, kicked some earth over their campfire, and examined the cave entrance. As he did so, he could hear the others speaking privately.

"I still don't know how you can do that so easily." Meera said, in a tone of both admiration and envy.

"Oh please, an area Stasis isn't all that hard." their sister answered, nonchalantly.

"Not hard?" Krelian scoffed. "Of course you would say that. Not every one of us can afford the kind of teacher you have, Asha."

"Don't forget the incentives she gives me." she replied wickedly. "And I don't know… you're not all _that _ugly. You could catch a pretty asari's eye, too."

"I catch a lot, thank you. But none of them are as competent a huntress as yours."

"Then that's just your bad luck."

Saren allowed their banter. He knew they had full attention on their captives and the surroundings. His Cabal was the best trained unit in all of the _Vindex _Legion, though even he would admit that the members of his brother's 'personal guard' were exceptionally competent.

His field medic arrived, and immediately got to work on the smallest boy, who had ceased struggling when he saw his companion wheezing in pain. Saren spared a glance as Nerik begun a comprehensive scan with his omnitool. After that, he swiftly took a blood sample, to a yelp from the boy. After a minute, he spoke. "Interesting tissue disposition on this species. Such incredible variance in body size and shape… preliminary DNA analysis complete. Saren, I see no reason why the standard levo sleeping agent won't work on them. Also no indication that it would cause a harmful reaction."

"Good. Let them sleep. Without proper translation, they are useless as informants."

"Understood." and he began injecting the humans with the neural agent that would put them out of commission for a few good hours, at least. They would still be properly restrained, of course.

"Kerrick." he called.

The infiltration specialist answered promptly enough. But there was still the slightest trace of reluctance on his sub-harmonics. "Kabalim?"

"Let us proceed. Map this tunnel."

"As you order."

Soon, the man had sent a tiny observation drone inside the cave. His brothers and sisters waited in tense silence while it mapped the dark passage, every sense stretched to the limit looking for signs of enemy forces. He knew some were expecting invisible warriors to sprout up from thin air at any moment, shooting lightning from their hands. Saren was ambivalent, himself. He heard his brother's suspicions about the true nature of the humans that destroyed Talon Base. They knew that there had been other Monoliths, lost in the wars that destroyed the Valluvian Priesthood. It _was _possible that the humans had stumbled upon one, and somehow learned to harness its power.

Saren thought it could just as likely be that humanity had come up with their own little tricks. Powerful cloaking technologies and advanced personal weaponry, along with appropriate data on the turian first base, would easily account for Talon's ridiculously fast destruction. His brother's suspicions were not without merit, but Saren thought he was too obsessed with their people's ancient technology. He had warned Desolas to be careful, that a man should keep a tight control over power, least power controls him in turn.

He looked up into the distant sky. There was just the hint of the dawn he had seen from up high. He would like to stay and watch it.

"I think we have enough, Kabalim." alas, it was not to be. Perhaps another day.

"Tell me what you found." he ordered the sergeant.

"It goes deep, but much shorter than we hoped for. Looks clean, just bare walls all the way, until we arrive at a wider intersection, here." a rough map of the tunnel appeared on his HUD. Unfortunately, it stopped well away from the edge of the camouflage dome. Guess a direct line inside the human's safe zone was too much to ask for. "It has been crudely blocked. The drone can't pass through, but it has detected much larger spaces not far from the location."

"Is this tunnel wide enough for us?"

"Yes, sir. Some places will be tight, but nothing to worry about."

"Then let's move, Master Kerrick." he turned to another legionnaire. "We will take the humans inside the tunnel. You will stand guard over them and watch this entrance." the soldier nodded. Saren turned back to Kerrick. "Lead the way, and we will follow."

"Yes, sir." The man grunted.

"_Thorakk's _piss." muttered Asha, at his side. Saren smiled, but did not comment.

He understood the Sergeant's reluctance. Saren was the youngest soldier in this unit and yet he was kabalim, leader and guide to them all. For all that he had met and exceeded all the expectations placed on him by his kinship with Desolas Arterius, it was still highly unusual for a legionnaire to rise so quickly on the ranks. Kerrick was hardly the only soldier who found his authority hard to swallow, he was just the closest one to him.

But looking at his other brothers and sisters as they stood ready to follow him made all the dull whispers trivial. Kerrick aside, the Cabal had come to fully accept him as their leader, even if most still teased him about his age. More than that, they had become his kin. Saren had a profound regard for his blood brother, but it was born out of respect for the man's cunning and admiration of his accomplishments, not true affection. Before starting to serve with him, Saren had only very faint memories of Desolas from his early childhood, the General being far too busy with his duties on the 16th, or his investigations on the Valluvian era, to spare time for his far too younger sibling. These soldiers, though, these soldiers were his true family. Even the distrustful Master Sergeant.

As Kerrick led the way inside the tunnel and Saren assigned others to carry the sedated humans, the three biotics who were the closest to him kept their chat.

"So, what did you think of the finals on the Armax Arena's Fifth Circle?" asked Asha to whomever wanted to listen.

"I thought Fortrax could have used the SMG, myself. Coupled with that disruptor mod, it would have made some damage." pondered Krelian.

Meera shook her head. "Against you and me, yes, but against a _krogan? _No, shotguns or assault rifles were the only choices, really. Unless you had an incendiary mod. Now that would be a whole different story."

"He still lost." pointed out Asha.

Meera nodded. "And he would have lost even worse if he had used the SMG."

"Speaking of the brutes, is your Mate finished with her tour on the Krogan DMZ, Asha?" Krelian asked.

"She should be! Until last we talked, she was in good form, thank the Goddess. They got into some fights with ships refusing to be properly inspected, nothing new there. Has a new scar she got from a _hannar _smuggler, of all things. She is terribly embarrassed about it." she laughed. "We were supposed to meet on Thessia last week, enjoy some time with the girls. But then, this whole mess with the humans started."

"Cursed situation, this one. But hopefully it will be settled soon, one way or the other, and we can leave. She will be just fine, you'll see."

"She's tough, of course she will."

"Let's move." ordered Saren when their captives were all inside.

"Krelian, no more delaying tactics from you! You are going to tell me all about that young corporal from the _Merit_ you've been eyeing up. You beat her on the ring yet?" Asha demanded.

"You don't know the half of it." he said, smugly. Saren let their voices wash over him as they descended into the dark earth.

* * *

"Take us to two hundred clicks, then hold for a moment, Ms. Coré."

"Very well." was the somewhat pinched response.

He could feel the woman was torn between excitement and bewilderment. The Invisibility Multiplier had already been jarring enough; when she also realized the ship had somehow been moving without any use of the engines, it had felt like she was going to explode from curiosity. But when Harry simply told her to pilot like she normally would, Coré refrained from asking questions. Harper seemed terribly amused at his teammate's consternation.

Hislop just took it in stride.

They had already crossed into what could be considered outer space. The black canvas filled with stars was in front of them. They were also about two-thirds of the way to the absolute edge of Shanxi's magic field…

"Here we are. Drifting in orbit at an altitude of one-hundred and ninety-seven kilometers."

…and it was time for Harry to prepare to take the reins. "Very good, Ms. Coré."

Seated on the co-pilots chair, he nonchalantly put his left hand on a section of the central console, where an unseen runic line connected to the ship's main arrays.

"All right, let's just get it out of the way." he said. "I will have to concentrate a little on some readings. This is going to look very weird and you might feel a little cold while I adjust some of the systems that allow us to remain camouflaged. I can't explain what exactly I'm doing, so just focus on the outside view if it gets too much."

Harper gave a lazy wave of his hand. "Go ahead, Ghost. Don't mind us."

"Sure, nothing like an audience." he muttered under his breath. Closing his other hand, he searched for one of the connections that he could always feel just at the edge of his conscience, no matter where in the galaxy he was. Finding it, he 'pulled', and could instantly feel a cold and hard object materializing beneath his fingers. Opening them, hidden from his spectator's eyes, he looked at the small rhombic stone resting innocently on the palm of his hand. It was crystal-like, midnight-black, and from every angle one looked at it, one would see the same image floating inside.

A circle, inside a triangle, crossed by a straight line.

No choice, really. Without Astrid's help, he would never be able to sustain the plethora of powerful enchantments on the ship with his Magic alone, not for long. He would need an extra boost.

* * *

"Mother? What's wrong?"

Samesh took a break from his reading of one of Harry's fantasy books (a very funny story about a boy who becomes an apprentice magician to a white rabbit) when he saw his mother fiddling with that necklace she never took off, a puzzled look on her face.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, dear. I just thought I felt something strange." she kept turning the yellow pendant on her hands, speaking mostly to herself now. "I could swear this thing was a little heavier, before."

The boy shrugged, he did not know about that. He noticed it was getting pretty late. "Hey, mother? Where is Lucretia? Isn't it almost time for everybody to get back to the tents?"

That seemed to snap the woman from her bewilderment. "Your sister is volunteering at the supply depot today, remember? She needs to help organize everything after curfew. She will be just a little late this night, don't worry."

"I'm not." he shrugged again. "Hey, you think she could bring me an extra packet of those fruity cereal bars?"

She shot him a stern look. "Samesh."

"Yeah, yeah! Sheesh, it was just a question."

* * *

Closing his fingers once again, he focused his power on the Trailblazer's enchantments for almost a minute, until he was sure the entire runic array was under the control of his Magic. "You can take us away now, Ms. Coré, full speed. Our target is the outmost cruiser, the one orbiting Tang. Keep the Mass Effect drive at the maximum, please."

She just nodded and they were off, pressing violently against their seats as the ship finished accelerating to an escape velocity. A short time later, they crossed the boundaries of the planetary magic, and Harry suppressed a grunt as he was now the only thing powering the invisibility, cooling and locomotion charms. Already he could feel his Magic stressing itself to the limit.

Concentrating on the Stone, Harry made his wish clear. And as always, the Hallow responded to his command promptly, eagerly. It whispered in his heart, a cold and soft melody, urging him to open the Veil wide, to tear it apart. To take back all that time had stolen from him, and see his loved ones again. But he reined it in, and allowed only enough leeway for him to 'slip through'. At once, the galaxy around him blurred. Everything was silent, Shanxi's rising sun disappeared, while the cockpit of his ship became a patchwork of dull grey colors. Coré and Hislop became translucent forms, shining white. Harper was the same, except that he was also surrounded by an iridescent viridian halo. He 'looked' through the windows, to the bright star that was now Shanxi. The planet shone with a light orange hue, and Harry knew there were over sixteen thousand little pinpricks of white inside that endless ocean. And thousands of others floating above it.

The black void of space was devoid of most of its stars. But not all, for he could still see a few. Each one with their own distinct color, twinkling at him from an eternity away. Each one a place where life grew, or could grow one day. Each one a place of magic.

Harry could not help but to stare for a few seconds at one in particular, shining a bright green-blue. That was the one he could always recognize.

Shaking himself off from the sight, the wizard went even deeper into the breach he had created, towards that place where the souls of the dead lingered. He knew very well, from past experiences, that the closer he came to the Other Side, and the longer he spent there, it would become ever harder to get out, to close the Veil again. He had to hurry, or soon the Hallow's whispers would come much too close to his own soul.

Suddenly, the universe _shifted_. Where before he had simply been seeing reality under another light, now he was in a new place altogether. The infinite expanses of the Crossroads greeted him, a desolate white plane that extended as far as his 'eyes' could see. Without wasting time, he started to forge the link, harnessing a sliver of his Magic that he would leave behind. He was alone.

But not for long. Smoky humanoid shadows started to form from the ether, hazy and undistinguishable from each other. First one, then three, then a dozen, with more coming at every moment. And like moths to a flame, they all came to him. They tried to talk; whispering softly in half-formed fright, sadness or anger, but it was very hard to hold on to emotions in this place, and the inherent knowledge Death provided put many things into perspective. He ignored them all, concentrating on the link. He could offer no comfort to those who asked, and they would all find their own paths, eventually.

All except for the softly crying, deformed and bloody figure laying on the ground some distance from him, which he did not spare a single glance at.

He was not all that surprised to see the many turian forms amongst the human ones. It confirmed a long-time suspicion of his: that his perception of the Crossroads was based on his experiences outside of it. Now that he knew turians existed, and had direct contact with them, he could see their wandering souls amongst the human ones.

He finished, a small gold and green flame now floated before him, as if made of liquid fire. He was about to retreat, when he saw a new shadow come to him, a turian one, and it felt different from the others. It was familiar, connected to him by an invisible thread. He knew what that meant, and had been half-expecting at least one of them to show up. But the dulled anger or resentment he had been expecting to sense was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he sensed something very close to gratitude.

The voice that spoke to him was dry and raspy, sounding like a distant echo.

"_It's all right, Spirit Warrior. I understand, I do not blame."_

All the other shadows fell silent, as if listening to the conversation. He did not know if there was anything to be said. In the end, he settled for what was simple. "Thank you."

"_No, thank _you_ for being gentle with my people. I hope your mission is successful. I hope you can stop our foolish fight."_

"I will try." the Hallow was getting louder, the images of long-lost faces plagued his mind, and Harry knew it was past the time to get out of there. "I'm sorry, but I truly need to go."

"_Listen! There's a reason I sought you out, something this place tells me you need to know. Before we arrived at your colony, General Arterius kept a strange object on his ship, some kind of alien artifact he found not too long ago. I saw a group of soldiers moving it out just after we received our orders. I didn't knew what it was at the time, and I still don't. But now I _know _it is powerful, and I _know_ it is dangerous. If you ever encounter it, you will recognize it. And if you do, you need to be very careful, Warrior."_

Harry was torn. That was incredibly interesting information, but it was becoming hard for him to think. His mind itched for him to go _just a little further._ "That's all you can tell me about it?"

"_Unfortunately. This place tell me nothing else, only that you needed to be aware. Before, I felt awed by it. But now I understand that whatever it is, it is _wrong_ and should not exist."_

The wizard nodded. "I can't stay any longer. I don't know what happens next, if it is any different for a turian than for a human. I wish you, all of you, the best of luck."

"_I fear luck may have very little to do with it. But go, Spirit Warrior, and may you always stand strong for those who need you."_

With great effort, secret promises from the Other Side hammering in his heart, the wizard willed himself away. The Crossroads vanished, replaced by the ephemeral universe. And slowly, the colors came back, washing over inanimate objects and living beings alike. Sound returned, the system's star was reborn on the horizon, and Harry Potter found himself back on the co-pilot's chair, three curious and slightly anxious faces looking at him. As soon as he was out, he reduced the opening in the Veil even more, just the smallest of cracks to keep the power link open. He sagged a little on his seat.

"Ghost, you're all right?" Harper asked. He was out of his chair, a hand on Harry's headrest and clearly ready to provide assistance. "We thought we had lost you for a moment."

"Yeah, man! I've never seen someone going so still that wasn't… you know, having terminal problems with breathing. And, well…"

The Custodian shot Hislop a warning look. Even Coré looked worried about him. "What he means is that the cabin got a little darker and colder for a minute. But you warned us about that." he then directed a very piercing gaze to the wizard. "I was a _little_ surprised myself, to be honest."

Harry just nodded. No doubt Harper felt a lot more than dimmed lights and a few degrees drop in temperature; too bad he was absolutely _not_ going to explain his little trip. He was a bit weak on the knees and had a cold sweat, but that would soon pass and the important thing was that his Magic now had all the support it could ever want. Just like before, though, it would be a very bad thing to leave that connection open for long. The whispers from the Stone were muffled now, as if coming from behind a wall, but they were still very much there.

"Sorry about that. But like I said, I can't really explain. Put it out of your minds." he said firmly, making clear that he included the Custodian in the statement. He tried to make himself more comfortable, but never took his right hand from the console. "What's our ETA, Ms. Coré?"

"We should be getting there in a little over 40 minutes."

"Excellent!" he gestured for Harper to retake his seat and the man complied, though a little reluctantly. Harry kept talking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. If there was any proof that these people were professionals, it was that none of them let their incredulity show. "So, if anyone has any doubts they would like to clear in regards to our mission goals, or our turian neighbors in general, ask away. That I can talk about." he said brightly.

The female operative gave him a sideways look, still keeping most of her attention on the instruments. He felt her anxiousness and knew she still expected them to be discovered and hunted down at any moment. "Okay. Do you really expect this turian High Commander to help us? Why would she do that?"

Harry nodded. "Assuming we manage to talk to her without anyone shooting anyone else in there, you mean? First of all, we are not in any way _certain _that Vakarian will intercede in our favor. It's just as likely that she won't. What we do know is that she is currently the second-highest ranking officer in the turian fleet, besides Arterius himself, and she has a big reputation as someone who always tries to take the diplomatic roads first. And a _very_ big reputation as someone who tends to butt heads with her superiors. Thing is, she is also regarded as one of the most talented commanders on their Fleets. From what I understand, as long as her methods prove effective and get results, she is allowed to play a little fast-and-loose with accepted strategy."

"It's that oddball behavior we are counting on. Arterius is the highest officer in this intervention, and therefore THE most qualified person to make decisions. Very few turians would ever think otherwise. Vakarian seems like the kind that would, and she is actually in a position where she could do something about it. Also, rumor among the ranks is that Arterius is giving the Commander the proverbial cold shoulder. Frankly, anyone the General is at odds with strikes me as someone worth knowing."

"Of course, _if _we get Vakarian's help, we will still be doing this behind the General's back. Any soldier inside that ship might pass word that may reach Arterius' ears. It's why we don't simply send a message to the cruiser asking for a meeting."

"So, we are going to walk straight into the wolf's den and ask the alpha female to help us? Man, you guys know how to have fun!" Harry searched for it, but could find no trace of sarcasm on Hislop's statement.

Coré sighed, but sent a fond look at the big man. "Roger. Guess it's as good a plan as any other for a desperate situation. From the data you gave us, it doesn't look like we have that many options, and it is a heck of a lot better than just dropping to our knees, begging for mercy."

The larger operative raised his hand, as if he was on a classroom. Harry stifled a chuckle and gestured for him to go ahead. "If we have to play nice with the birds, wouldn't destroying their base be a little counter-productive? Not that I'm blaming you guys or anything, because that was fantastic raid work! But… ya' know?"

"Good point, Mr. Hislop…"

"Oh, stop that! Just Ben! Eva is the only one of us old enough that she demands to be addressed by her surname." that earned him a slap to the head.

"…and the answer is a tad complicated. You guys have read about the turian's client races?"

The pilot's lips pressed very tightly, but then she sighed. "Yes, we have. I'm tempted to say it sounds like civilized slavery, but it's much more like a State bound to a Federal Government, really."

Harper nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "They destroy their enemies' military power and industry, but keep civilians mostly alone, until they have no choice but to accept surrender and integration, if they wish to have any kind of protection. Honestly, we have done much worse ourselves, and as recently as the last century."

Harry nodded back, and turned to Hislop. "The turians believe the strong must guard the weak, and the civilized must guide the ignorant and barbaric. And _of course _they are shining examples of both strength and civilization. It is arrogance and self-entitlement, yes, but I believe there's genuine concern about the welfare of those under their authority, and a desire to see them become greater than they were before. I'm not saying I agree with the practice, but it is better than genocide, at least."

"Hum…" Coré was not convinced. Harry understood perfectly; it would be a toasty discussion at the best of times.

"Now let me give you a practical example: remember how the turians fired upon Zhou to take out the Alliance sailors?"

They all nodded. Hislop's face got darker, and for the first time Harry saw the deadly soldier beneath the joyful young man.

"That was actually a unilateral decision of General Arterius. Now, every soldier we spoke with believes he made that call with the best interests of his people at heart, and that it must have been for the best. But most of them were not happy with it. At all. Not out of pity, you see, but because the SSV _Nairobi _put up one hell of a fight and almost all of them think her crew _deserved _better. They had proven their courage and prowess."

Unlike some of the militaristic cultures in human history, and magical ones like the goblins, the turians did not believe that 'not holding back' was a sign of respect for a worthy enemy. It was just a sign that you wanted them dead, anyway.

"Wait, so you're telling me these guys are more inclined to take it easy with someone who can _actually _beat their asses?"

"Unless their homes or the galaxy at large are being threatened, by what we've read about their war with the krogan species." completed Harper. "But yes, Ben, it seems like the first step to remove the argument for making humanity a new addition to their collection."

"Exactly. So," Harry gestured to Shanxi, "my group tried to repeat that on the ground. When we were scouting the base, we heard a lot of commentary about how the space battle might have just been a fluke, after all. That humans still had much to learn and turians would teach them. Well, we hoped to prove them wrong in a blatant way. But now that we have established humanity can stand up for itself, we need to work on the 'not ignorant barbarians' side. We have also been trying to distance ourselves from the Alliance. We don't know if that will be a good or bad thing at the moment."

The Custodian looked at him with narrowed eyes. "What do you mean, Ghost?"

Harry restrained the urge to scratch his neck. "We might have announced ourselves as an independent group fighting for Shanxi. We spun a tale about how the Shroud was our creation, and about how we might have access to some unusually advanced tech from the rest of humanity."

The eyes narrowed even further. "I see… and why did you decide to do that?"

The wizard really wanted to pace, but he could not very well cut the power feed to the enchantments. His hand burned something fierce, but he knew it was just a phantom pain. "Because we didn't think any self-respecting strategist would just take that at face value, Harper, even if they believe us to be a separate faction. Some small colony militia having more power than the standing army? Please. Yet, it is the truth. _You _know we can't share our methods and resources with humanity at large, Harper, that those can't be reproduced. But the turians don't, and you can bet the other races won't, either."

Coré kept her doubts about not being able to share his 'tech' outside of her voice. "They have to tread carefully until they realize that. And if we make peace, the aliens will demand to know how we did all that; the dome, the enemy base, and whatever stunt your people might still do until this is over."

Harry nodded. "And the Alliance won't have any answers to give. Because I'm sorry, but we won't provide them. So we are trying to give the diplomats a 'cop out' right from the start, instead. Go ahead and blame it all on the rogue paramilitary group, we don't mind. The races will probably not buy it, but after we are sitting down and progressing to _that_ level of talks, it should hopefully be too late to pick up the hatchets again."

The team leader kept his scrutinizing look for a minute, as if he could see past the wizard's mask, and at his face. Then he sighed, and slumped a little in his chair. "I can't tell you that was the wisest move, Ghost." he then shot Harry another piercing gaze. "You do realize that will make you a target of both the aliens _and _humanity?"

"Don't I know it."

Everybody went quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Harry left them, but he really wanted to keep a discussion, any discussion, going. Talking helped to distract him from the whispers in his mind, as the Stone tempted him with more memories of the dead.

_"And now there's this about an unknown, most likely magical artefact."_ he thought, very much troubled by the news. Not only it brought a whole slew of nasty questions about alien spellcasters, but anything the power that dwelled on the Crossroads wanted him to know about was something that, sure as Odin's spear, was going to bite him in the arse.

Hard.

* * *

There was the faintest shimmering in the air. Most people would only notice if they were looking very closely for it. A few seconds later, Kerrick deactivated his tactical cloak, becoming visible again with a slight burst of static energy. He shared his latest report.

"Another large chamber on the other end." he told them. "Same thing; rows of tents, lots of unarmed humans of all discernible ages, few soldiers." he sent the images to their battle link.

"Goddess! There must be a hundred and fifty humans inside that cave, alone." Asha shook her head.

The soldiers were spread along the tunnel. The master Sergeant and Sahlia had both been making fast runs inside the human caves and using their cloaks to hide from observation. Their reports were both good and bad. On one hand, it was a major discovery for their forces; finally, a weak spot on the human cover. On the other hand…

"This is clearly a civilian refuge, little brother." Meera pointed out. "If we start shooting inside this place, it's likely we will have a monstrous amount of collateral damage on our hands. There must be thirty non-combatants for every armed human we can see."

"There is a treasure trove of information down here." said Krelian, frustration in his voice. "But it's too well-monitored. All the larger tunnels have sensors on both ends, and there are hundreds of wandering eyes. Tactical cloaks won't last long enough to explore the whole system."

Saren nodded. "You have found what appears to be a command center, Kerrick?" he asked the Master Sergeant.

"Yes, Kabalim. It's a group of three larger tents without any others close to it. We have seen a lot of traffic by soldiers and uniformed humans." he shook his head, voice wary. "But that section of the cave is completely fenced off with some thick metal meshes that go from ground to ceiling. The only entrance is constantly watched by at least five heavily armed humans."

"Is there some place you and Sahlia can hide near that checkpoint?"

The man thought for a second. "Two good ones, I think."

The lieutenant nodded. "It's as you said, Krelian. All the data we have been seeking from the start of this campaign might be in a computer inside this refuge, and I believe the most likely place to find it would be at that control area. We need to know what lies below that purple eyesore. We need a clear picture of the human's infrastructure and what kind of defenses they have. If we can map out their weapon emplacements, their range and power, the dome will mean nothing." he looked to other soldiers. "The only reason humanity has us deadlocked is because they deny us targets. If we can bring the full might of our ships into play, we will win."

Kerrick gritted his teeth. "All very well and good, Kabalim, but it still leave us the matter of breaking through a heavily defended checkpoint. That will take time, no matter how we do it. What if the humans inside realize the battle is lost and try to wipe all information? They seem fond of doing that."

Saren looked at the man coldly. "If we expect to gain any headway in this situation, we will need to take risks, Master Sergeant." he looked at his Cabal. "And I'm not suggesting that we simply assault that checkpoint. The humans have obviously built their whole strategy around protecting the entrances to this cave system. They do not expect an attack from inside. The bulk of their forces will be concentrated nearer to the surface."

"What are you planning, Saren?" asked Meera. She had been kabalim before him. She took him in like the elder sister he never had, and was the first to break through his dour disposition and force him to interact with the others. Two years later, she had been the one to support his promotion to team leader.

He summoned a holographic map of the three chambers they had been able to map on his omnitool. "Here," he pointed to a structure on the chamber next to the where the checkpoint was located, "a structure housing power generators, water pumps and supplies. Sturdy but lightly guarded, with some civilian workers and plenty of vital equipment to discourage the use of heavy weapons. The chamber itself has very few soldiers, overall."

He then marked the seven tunnels that left the chambers. "You and Sahlia will plant charges on these exits. Krelian, will this put the system itself at risk?"

Their resident demolitions expert shook his head. "It shouldn't. This place is deep and the rock very solid. It would take many a direct hit from the _Justice's _main gun to collapse it from orbit. A bit of fireworks on the inside won't even make it tremble."

Saren nodded and turned back to Kerrick. "After you plant the charges, you two will wait in one of the places you mentioned." he pointed back to the structure on the other chamber. "The rest of us will storm into this cave and take over the depot. I will detonate the charges before the civilians can escape. The humans won't be able to send in help, their civilians will be trapped and in panic. They will have to use whatever force they have on that command center to try and repel us."

He deactivated the omnitool and straightened. "When that force leaves, that's when you and Sahlia will get inside and hack their systems. Do it quietly and the humans will not have time to manually wipe any files. Secure as much data as you can, and transmit it along this tunnel to the surface and up to the _Justice._"

The man contemplated him for a long moment. "We have a lot of ships over this place. If the humans send reinforcements along the surface, we might finally be able to catch them in the open."

"We are a _Vindex_ Cabal, Master Sergeant. We will hold our ground against any numbers they send, for enough time so that you can complete your task. Give us what we need brother. These humans have sat comfortably down here for too long. It's time they, too, feel what it is like to be torn apart from the inside."

Kerrick nodded, slowly. "You might be worthy of your name, Kabalim. Very well, then."

As every soldier prepared themselves, Asha turned to him. "Should be fun to see how well the humans fight. Think we will see any Ghosts? I think they are biotics, personally. I'm eager to see how our moves match against theirs." she was perhaps a little more eager than would be advisable. But that was his fiery sister for you.

"Ghosts or not, we could be marching to our deaths, anyway." Krelian remarked. Despite his words, he did not sound worried at all.

"_Must _you be always this pessimistic?" Asha asked.

"Someone has to."

"I would not count ourselves out so easily, brother." Meera interrupted. "We have faced worse odds. Remember that Blood Pack base on Invictus?"

"Don't I remember it. Cursed vorcha, coming out of the ground like the worms they are." Krelian sighed. "That was a mess. You know what I remember most, though? I remember little Saren here, fresh out of war-camp and barely into his crest plates, taking on a thousand years old krogan Battlemaster with nothing but a pistol." He looked at his lieutenant fondly.

"Yeah, how can we loose with such a fine example of youthful recklessness in our midst?" Meera teased him, voice gentle.

"Might I remind you that this is your superior officer you're talking about?" said officer interjected. "And you should also remember that I won that fight."

"And so proud of his shining new title. Careful not to grow too large for your armor, little brother." Asha teased.

"I will have you know, Asha, that…"

Master Sergeant Kerrick came back, together with the svelte form of Sahlia, their second infiltrator. "We are ready to move, Kabalim."

He nodded. "Then go."

Both legionnaires activated their cloaks, shimmering out of view. Meera tapped his shoulder. Even behind her helmet, Saren could feel her eyes piercing him. "The human civilians might very well try to attack us, little brother. Our own would not hesitate to do so."

He shrugged. "Humans seem foolish enough not to allow their people the right to defend themselves." he tilted his head. "If they still try to come at us with their bare hands… then they are civilians no longer, sister."

She scrutinized him for a moment longer. Saren knew his tactics were often ruthless, but the mission _always_ came first. This trap might easily turn against them; he knew he was putting the people he held most dear in the entire galaxy at great risk. And he would do it as many times as it was necessary. Meera was an outstanding officer, but she sometimes had difficulty seeing the big picture. She knew that, and it was the reason she had pushed for Saren to be their new leader.

Honor had no place in battle. Sacrifices were inevitable. Victory demanded its price. Anyone who tried to play the game of war differently was just a fool.

"Agreed." she finally said.

"Let us wait for Kerrick and Sahlia to get in position." to all the soldiers, he said. "Hold your fire against the humans not in blue uniforms or armor. But if any alien makes a threatening move, or you see them with a weapon of any kind, you are to engage with deadly force, no exceptions. Understood?"

He received their grim affirmatives.

"Good."

* * *

Her world was an ocean of colors.

Streams of data like liquid fire crisscrossed in a giant net, impossibly complex, coming in and out of blazing cores. Nothing even remotely comparable to what could be found at a city on Earth, but large and beautiful just the same. Each radio wave was like a ripple on the ocean's surface, traveling vast distances almost as fast as the light, until they went out of her perception. Bursts of tightbeam communications felt like lightning bolts, thundering across her skies.

All this Astrid could see. Like a queen high up in her castle's tower, she surveyed her realm from her current vessel. Her sight could stretch for many kilometers around her. If she wanted, she could focus on a single direction and observe much, much further. Air, water, rock or metal, nothing could stop her gaze. And everything she could see, she could hear. A datapad, a shuttle, a server; every exchange of digital data was like a song to her; a melody that could be eternal or impossibly short. Sad, happy, pitiful and glorious.

And she could touch them. Like a witch could cast spells to bend the world around her, so could a Sylphid use her own Magic to bend an entire network, or a single runtime, to her will. She did not depend on powerful hardware or optimized programming. Inside her perception range, she did not even need a connection to the target. If she encountered a firewall, all she had to do was wish it gone. If she wanted to change a program, she just had to transfigure it into something else. In her realm of currents and data, she was a goddess.

As long as she was inside a planet's magical field, that was.

Most of the time, Astrid reveled in her nature. Harry once asked her, not long after he and The Bitch brought her to life inside the wizard's ship, if she wished to have an organic body. To experience the world in flesh and blood. She laughed at the very idea. She had absolutely no wish to waste her time inside a fragile organic sack. Having to eat, sweat, go to the bathroom, and deal with mind-dumbing hormones? No, thank you very much.

She much preferred to inhabit her beautiful crimson vessel. Once settled inside it, she _became _the Trailblazer. Every single part of it. She could _feel _her body; her hull, her wings, her engines. She could feel the electrical energy thrumming through her circuits; the Mass Effect envelope making her weightless; the wind rushing against her when she flew.

And now she was trapped inside this pathetic excuse for a car (which _still _itched), with two feelings dominating her thoughts; she was bored out of her mind, and she was worried sick. And the blame for all these things could be laid down on the feet of the same man.

Harry James Potter.

Honestly, sometimes she could not understand why she put up with the enchanted meatbag. Surely the fact that she loved her pigheaded, reckless, emotionally stunted 'father' could not be reason enough, could it?

"Hey, Hughes, I think we might have a little situation here."

The conversation came to her among thousands of others, breaking her from her nice and comfortable funk. She was constantly monitoring any words exchanged in proximity of a microphone near her, or sent through the network, looking for signs of trouble. Just like she watched every camera and sensor connected to the battle net, even if indirectly. She focused on this one, an exchange over radio between a Colony Officer in charge of monitoring surveillance at Shelter 05, and one of the Marines stationed at it.

_"Wait a second. Isn't Hughes the Bhatia girl's boy toy?"_

"What is it, Martin?"

"Could you check out a passage for me? It's the one connecting chambers 07 and 08, on the left side. Records show that some young fellas entered that tunnel some hours ago and haven't come out yet. I'm sure they are just smoking something inside a side-passage, but curfew is about to begin."

She could hear the frown on the soldier's voice. "Why do you think they are smoking something, Martin?"

"I've run face-recognition, and two of them are known troublemakers."

"Really, who?"

"Neighbors of yours, actually. Lester Gusman and Takami Hivulleto. They also had a Jerod Flint with them, but this one's record is clean."

"Not for long, if he keeps that company." she heard the young marksman sigh. "Yeah, I know them, alright. Don't worry, Martin, I'll get the brats."

"They are not that much younger than you, you know?" the officer said, amused.

"They are still brats."

"You're gonna get some backup?"

"Nah. Lester and Takami are mostly bark. And Jerod is just a lost kid. Actually, I'll have a talk with a friend of mine about him. See if we can't steer him into a better direction."

"Well, good luck with that project, Hughes."

Curious to see where that would go, and making a note to warn Harry that the Marine might be looking for him soon, Astrid kept the connection open and had the feed from his communicator sent to her. She would have liked to activate his helmet's camera as well, but as that ran on a separate system on his armor and as the man was outside of her range at the moment, this was the best she could do. If she wanted to focus her perception to cover the shelter, she would leave a lot of other systems unguarded.

For a time, all she could hear was the cacophony of sounds from hundreds of background voices, interspaced with periods of silence as the man crossed a desert tunnel or another. At every entrance to one of the main passages there was a camera connected to the battle net, and she could track him with them. A couple of minutes later, he arrived at the passage where the little miscreants had gone into, and disappeared.

She heard the heavy stomp of his steps and the soft whisper of his breathing. After a time, that he undoubtedly spent searching the many short dead-ends and alcoves, she heard him shout.

"Gusman, Hivulleto! This is Elliot Hughes! Time to go back to your tents, boys."

Silence. The Marine waited a few moments before trying again.

"Look, we know you are in here, okay?! There's no reason to play silly games! Loitering in the tunnels isn't a misdemeanor, but violating curfew is! And you have only a few minutes before you start doing just that!"

Still nothing. The guy was starting to lose his patience. "Jerod, can you hear me?! You don't want to spend the night in the brig because of those two, do you?! Tell me where you are!"

Suddenly, Elliot Hughes let out a muffled scream of surprise. There was a low noise, like an electronic whine. It was soon followed by the sound of scratching metal-on-metal and a wet, disgusting 'squelch'. The man's surprise turned to agony, but it was short-lived.

_"Fuck!" _thought Astrid, already sending an alert to the Marines the moment Hughes let out his first scream. What happened next, though, sent a ripple of dread through her metaphorical spine.

A voice, low and sibilant, and speaking in _turian._ Something in that cold flanging reminded her of General Shithead, of all people.

"Watch over your people, human."

Another horrible squelching sound, and the heavy 'thump' of a body hitting the stone floor.

"Let's move!" said the turian. Many footsteps could be heard running up the passage.

_"Flaming, frecking, flying fuck! Where's a damned wizard when you need one?"_

* * *

"There, that corner under the right wing. There aren't any sensors we can detect, and it's out of angle from the point-blank defenses. Someone would need to pass unreasonably close to see you there, and that would mean your luck is almost as rotten as mine."

Hislop chuckled, very low. Coré kept silent, but directed the Trailblazer obediently into an upside-down position under the massive alien ship. They had made many turns around the half-kilometer long hull, using passive scans to map out every panel, window and sensory array. All the time, the woman seemed ready to snap from tension, and even the carefree young man was quiet, as if the people inside the cruiser could somehow hear him if he talked.

Harper was unconcerned.

"Remember, the camouflage and silent run only works with me in here. The moment I leave, the ship will be visible again. You should still be safe against the cruiser's much larger heat signature, but…"

"Right." the pilot nodded. "Put every system on standby and pray they keep this orbit. Use our suits to stay alive. Got it."

"Great." he turned to the Custodian, who was already out of his chair. "Ready for a spacewalk?" Harry picked up a rebreather and some magnetic attachments for his boots.

"Just waiting for you, Ghost."

"Before we leave, there's something you must know about the way I operate, all of you." he made sure they were looking at him. "I know you're soldiers, I know you have all been trained to neutralize your targets as quickly and efficiently as possible. I respect that. But you must know that I am not a soldier, and unless I'm dealing with the worst of the worst, I always try to take my targets alive."

He saw both Harper and Coré open their mouths, but put up a hand to forestall them. "Please, I'm not looking for a debate about the sanctity of all life, the morality of killing, or the benefits of taking a threat down permanently. Just accept that this is how I work, and that I'm willing to go the extra mile to make sure it happens. Most of the time, I can incapacitate someone almost as fast as I could kill them, anyway."

Harper's expression was unreadable, and even his emotions were hard to discern at the moment. "Even up here, Ghost?"

"Even up here, Mr. Harper."

A few seconds later, the man nodded. "Like you, I can respect that. But you must understand that my teammates and I cannot afford that luxury."

"I don't expect you to, and would never ask any of you to risk your lives or your mission for the sake of an enemy. If things turn to bollocks in there, I want you all to do whatever you need to keep yourselves, and each other, safe. Just remember, please, what we are trying to accomplish here." they all gave their agreement. "Good. Lights out, Ms. Coré."

The operatives put on their helmets, he attached the rebreather to his mask, and the woman begun to shut down every system on the Trailblazer. Soon, the ship was just a piece of depressurized metal keeping orbit under the larger spacecraft. As soon as she had begun, Harry stopped powering the runic arrays. He quickly shifted his Magic to the enchantments on his own clothes, activating the Insulation Charms that would allow him to survive the harshness of outer space. He also slammed the Veil shut, and took a deep breath of relief when the feelings imposed by the Hallow started to fade. He dropped it carelessly inside a cup holder.

"Let's go, Harper. Good luck Hislop, Ms. Coré. If the cruiser changes its course, get the hell out of here. We will find our own way back."

"Stay sharp, you two." The Custodian told his mates.

"Scream if you need help." said Hislop, cheerfully. Coré gave a small wave.

The wizard and the operative floated to the ship's cramped service/cargo area. Harry manually closed the hatch to the cockpit, to give them some privacy. He then took off his trench coat, and presented it to the other man.

"Here, Harper. I promised a way to make you undetectable. You can borrow this one."

Said man just looked at him, nonplussed. "Huh, how's your coat going to help me, exactly?"

In answer, Harry just patted a part of the coat, sending a mental command to another of his more unique possessions. Like a rippling wave, the thick brown cloth started to change from the point he had touched and outwards. Soon, he had in his hands a bundle of silky fabric. It had a mesmerizing silvery color and felt almost like a liquid in its softness.

Behind his clear visor, Harper's eyes widened. "A functioning Invisibility Cloak?! After all this time!? Astounding! But…" he shot Harry a doubtful look. "I still can't give it power, Ghost."

Harry shook his head. "You won't need to, trust me. This Cloak is… special. It doesn't lose its enchantments in space like an ordinary magical item. It will work up here for anyone." that he wanted, of course. "It will also does more than just make you invisible. As long as you're wearing it, no one will hear you, smell you, or even detect your gravitational field. Just make sure not to bump into anything. It doesn't make you insubstantial."

The man took the Cloak almost reverently, but did not stop to gawk at the thing, thankfully. He looked at Harry gain. "Will _you _be able to keep track of me? And won't it block our short-range radios?"

"I will, and it won't." was the simple answer. Not only could he see through the Cloak and mentally control what it would and would not hide, as long as Harper was touching a Hallow he could find the man anywhere on the universe. "And I will be putting out enough magic so that you can track me as well."

With a nod, Harper put on the cloak and promptly vanished. Harry directed power to the 'backup' Disillusionment Charm on his clothes and went out of sight too, if a little more slowly. He opened the outside hatch and soon they were out into the void, using their magnetic boots to move on the cruiser's vast grey surface. The moon Tang shone above their heads and Shanxi spun on the distance, half-dark and half-lit. The only sound they heard was their own breathing.

Harry pointed into a specific direction, even though harper could not see the gesture. "Remember where the hangar is, yes?"

"I do."

"Then let's move."

It was a slow and careful walk along the hull. Despite the way the void limited him, and the fact only a slip of concentration separated him from a very unpleasant death right now, Harry loved walking on space. The infinite darkness did not intimidate him, the silence was comforting (when Astrid was not chattering his ear off), and there was nowhere on a planet you could see so many stars. But he actually preferred to float away. The contrast of having your feet locked on a hull while also feeling weightless was very weird.

"I never knew Invisibility Cloaks also had their own gravity." Harper said. Harry looked at him, and surely enough the Cloak hung perfectly onto his body, despite any of his movements.

An ordinary enchanted cloak would not do that, but the Custodian did not need to know. "Funny how magic works, yes?"

"Indeed. There it is."

They had just crossed a 'rise' on the hull. A short distance in front of them, light could be seen pouring from under a 'ledge'. Both man walked side-by-side to it, then looked over the edge.

It was the ship's hangar, all right. Thick, segmented metal plates blocked the way, circled by a trail of light.

"All right, that shuttle we saw before will hopefully make its way back soon."

"Let us enjoy the view, then."

Both men sat down on the grey hull. Harry looked around and could not help but find himself amazed, like always, that something so big could be built. And it was not even a dreadnought!

In a fleet, a cruiser served as more than just heavy muscle. They were also support units, with internal factories that could produce food, medicine, fuel, ammunition and equipment. A frigate had to make port frequently. A cruiser could travel for years without needing to resupply, except for fuel components.

A dreadnought was pretty much self-sufficient, as long as it could mine materials along its way. And again, fuel.

It also meant that there was a constant trade of supplies with smaller ships, like the nine frigates that made up the rest of Vakarian's battle group. At least once a day, if conditions allowed. They had just watched one such supply run in progress. At least they hoped so. It would be a long wait, indeed, if that shuttle was finished already.

As luck would have it, half an hour later they felt the metal beneath them tremble. They quickly went to the edge and watched as the huge doors opened slowly, light pouring out into the void.

A large space perhaps three stories high, with the sides filled by catwalks and metal beams, where Harry could see a few transports docked. A wide central lane was kept empty and served as the runway. The infiltrators were 'up' on the left side of the entrance, and if they extended their arms they could touch the shimmering blue shield that covered it.

"A field holding light particles inside, but still allowing passage for slow-moving heavy objects. Such fine control of Mass Effect! And somehow they manage to keep the temperature comfortable." Harper shook his head. "It's details like these that show how much more advanced they are. We can't even begin to understand how to do that."

"Well, they _did _have thousands of years to work on it." Harry commented. He was tracking the movements of the few personnel they could see walking around. This cruiser, the _Ascendant Shadow,_ was a space patrol vessel. It possessed only the standard flight crew and a small but very qualified complement for boarding and ground actions. Arterius's cruisers carried a much larger number of soldiers, as they were meant for planetary duty. They were lucky Vakarian was on this one. "Right, the field itself only registers what collides with it, not what passes through. And we should both be safe from the motion-sensors. Ready?"

"As ever."

As the supply shuttle left the ship, they positioned themselves so as to fall in the right alignment, then jumped in. First Harry, then Harper. They both landed silently on a catwalk, deactivated their clamps, and waited a few moments. When there was no reaction from the soldiers or any alarms, they stood up.

Harper pointed. "I see a terminal not twenty steps from here. It looks out of sight. Want me to give it a go?"

"Sure. If we mess up, at least we're right by the entrance."

"My thoughts, exactly."

Harper got besides the console and started his omnitool. Harry went to the edge of the catwalk and observed the few people roaming on the ground floor. Closest to them, he saw a man working on something under a shuttle, only his legs peeking out, while another stood next to him. He could hear them, and his new holographic wristwatch readily provided the translation.

"Have you found it?" asked the one standing.

"The circuit line to the second-right lifting torch is fried, just like he said! That _never _happens! How does Lilihierax just knows about these things?"

"Man has a blessing, we have to give him that. Still, he's the only mechanic I know that would try and fix a _Frangit_ with a Thresher Maw spitting bile over his shoulder, so perhaps insanity is his secret."

"I didn't even _look _at this torch because I was sure it could not be the problem! I spent three spirits-cursed days on this shuttle!" Harry heard what sounded suspiciously like a head banging against a hard surface. "All right, can you fetch me the plasma cutter?"

"Sure."

"Ghost." Harper called. Harry went to him.

"Any luck?"

"Some. That security V.I. is sharp. It had me pinged as soon as I tried to access the network. I've disguised the entrance as a routine system check, and had to bail out. But," and he sounded very satisfied with himself, "I expected that. I managed to trace its signal's source inside the system. Its mainframe is on the Primary Server Room, Tower 7. If I can get to that terminal, I will be able to bypass most of its protections and make myself a temporary superuser. It will give us an extremely high-clearance to the surveillance systems."

Harry's interrogations and data-gathering revealed that a Hierarchy cruiser's security and surveillance systems were all protected by a dedicated, pseudo-sentient program called a Virtual Intelligence. It monitored all access to the network, no matter how innocuous, and tagged all crew movement around the ship. Every room had security sensors. Every door, hatch and elevator was linked to the program, and it knew when any of them was activated, and by whom. The infiltrators were safe from the sensors, but until they could find a way to subvert the V.I., they would have a very hard time moving around.

"Wait, you actually taunted the V.I. in order to discover where its hardware is?"

"Yes." his satisfaction had progressed to downright smugness.

"Ballsy stuff, Harper. Just when did you start doing this kind of thing?" Harry asked in curiosity.

"One of my girlfriends at College ran with a group of digital revolutionaries, fighting for the freedom of the worldnet from the oppressive server owners that dared to regulate content." he snorted. "A bunch of would-be anarchists who figured they could mess around with government systems, really. Most of them got arrested."

"And you?"

"_I _never got caught."

"Heh. You have that rough draft Astrid made from the ship in your HUD? Jolly good! Let's take you to that Server Room."

"This is going to be a very long walk."

"It sure will."

And thus began their long trek into the bowels of the cruiser. Like Harper said, it was a _very slow _trip. They carefully crossed the hangar, positioned themselves one at each side of the exit, and once what looked like an engineer entered the large room, they slipped through the door and into the corridor beyond. And that became their pattern, all the way to the cruiser's server rooms. Loiter near the entrance they needed to take, slip through after someone passed. Fortunately, turians were busy little bees, and they were always moving about.

Like they already knew, turian interior design was… harsh. It had not the sleek and streamlined corridors of Alliance warships. It reminded Harry of those old battleships that used to cross the seas of Earth, ironically enough.

Still, most of the time the ship's corridors were wide enough for the infiltrators to press themselves against a wall without the risk of bumping into someone. But there were a few very close calls.

"Careful!" Harry grabbed the operative's shoulder, right before a heavy armor-clad woman turned the corner into their corridor.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Harry had been doing this kind of skullduggery since his first year at Hogwarts. The Auror stealth training helped a lot, though. And Harper was no klutz, either.

Four decks up, with the tensest elevator ride either man had ever taken in their lives, where Harry spent a minute dodging animated turian limbs and Harper somehow managed to latch himself on the ceiling despite wearing the Cloak. One deck down through a mess hall where they saw an assortment of very colorful food and what some would consider very bad table manners (who needed knives when one had sharp talons, right?), and then they suddenly encountered a different sight.

"Is that…" Harper begun.

"I believe it's a volus." completed the wizard, as they followed the short, rotund little being clad in a white exosuit that completely covered his body. "One of the turian client races. From what I understand, non-turian legionnaires are usually assigned to support duties. It's rare to find them on the front lines."

"They are the species that handles a good chunk of the galactic economy, right?"

"Seems like it. Well, little bloke is going our way, so I guess we follow."

That eventually led them to a long corridor somewhere above Main Engineering, not three doors from their target. The volus who had taken them there had left by the same way he entered, going back for something or the other, and they were stuck for the moment.

They were resting against the same wall, Harry even took a seat on the floor. They had been silent most of the way, only speaking to coordinate their movements. But suddenly, Harper begun speaking. "Ghost?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you something. Something about what you said before."

Harry could feel that something had been troubling the Custodian since they left his ship. Perhaps he would find out now.

"Ask away, Harper."

He paused, trying to formulate his question. "Look, what I'm wondering is… when you talked about not killing your enemies, does that have anything to do with the… damage it causes?"

Harry was a little startled at that. "That's part of the Secret?"

Harper nodded. "As you must know, your people turned heavily to soul manipulation in search of a cure. We couldn't help you much on that area, obviously. And let me just say that having actual proof of the existence of souls and the afterlife was very… disconcerting, to say the least."

The wizard sighed. "Harper… Jack… look, I avoid killing whenever possible because I think it's the right thing to do." he looked up, at the bright ceiling lights. "Because I can't bring myself to simply toss aside the life of a stranger, someone that is most likely a parent, a child or a sibling_._ Not by default, not if I can see other options. I guess… I guess I'm just not the right person to be fighting wars."

Harper was silent for a long few minutes. Harry just waited. In the end, the man surprised him by simply accepting his reasons. He could feel it on his mind. "I wouldn't go that far, Mr. Wizard. You might end up being exactly the kind of fighter we need. And we certainly need people like you to keep people like _me _in check. But tell me, what exactly killing does to the soul? The Secret has no specifics on that."

Harry got up, now gazing upon a blinking nearby panel, thoughts swirling. "People die for many reasons. Sooner or later, gently or not, we all must cross the Veil. Good people die, and bad people die. Good people kill, and bad people kill. Despite my personal feelings on the matter, I know that death… death is just a part of life." he paced up and down in front of Harper. He thought it was funny; and very irresponsible, most likely; how they were having this conversation on a ship full of hostiles. "And yet, there's something about taking a sentient life that souls, human souls at least, disagree with. Violently. Of all the disgusting and terrible acts a person can commit… _something_ about murder damages the spirit in a ghastly way, when no other evils will. Even deeds that most would think to be far worse, myself included."

He stopped and looked at the Custodian. "It _fractures_ the soul, Jack. Cracks it like glass. Now, that damage will heal, in time. Even if the soul has been fractured repeatedly." unless you were an insane dark wizard terrified of dying, of course. "But it always leaves a scar."

The Custodian pondered this for a while. "And do you believe that may result in some kind of… judgment?"

"If you're asking me about gods, or heaven and hell, I can't offer you any more scientific proof than your run-of-the-mill priest, Jack. I don't know what ultimately happens to a soul on the Other Side." he shook his head. "And in any case, I don't think that kind of soul damage can be the measure of a person's character. Like I said, far worse deeds don't have the same effect. There's something beyond simple morality at work here."

Harper nodded his agreement. "Fractured souls… do they…"

The sound of the door sliding open interrupted them, and they both hastily got in position as the volus from before waddled back in. Muttering indistinguishably under his breath mask, he passed the invisible men and allowed them passage through the other door. They went out into another corridor, larger and with many exits. A turian was also passing through.

"Zede!" he called. "Why so grumpy? Forgot your access key again?"

"Go jump from an airlock!" the small guy answered sullenly, pausing between words to take noisy breaths with his mask. The turian just laughed and moved on.

As luck would have it, their guide went straight to a door labeled "Primary Server Room", when translated by their tools. They snuck behind him after he cleared the complex security checks, and found themselves in a brightly lit and very cold room filled with tall pillars of processing centers. There was a constant whirring sound and the floor had a mirror-like finish. Thick cables went out of the pillars and into the ceiling, thrumming with energy.

The technician went to a pillar on the far left and started to fiddle with the now familiar holographic interface. Harry and Harper went to the middle of the room.

"Okay, want to bet there is more processing power here than on all of Shanxi?"

"No wager there, mate." he looked around. "There, the third pillar from the right corner. That's your terminal. Let's wait until our friend leaves, then you can try and have it out with the V.I."

"Roger."

A half-hour later, the technician left. As soon as he was out, the lights on the room dimmed drastically, and the men found themselves floating in the air.

"Bloody hell!"

"Heh, artificial grav gets disabled when no one's in the room? I wonder why? You all right up there, Ghost?"

Floating almost near the ceiling, the wizard was trying to orient himself back to the floor. "Yes! Just give me a…" using the wall, he managed to get back to door level. "There! Go earn your keep, Harper."

"I'm getting paid? You should have told me sooner." the operative floated to the terminal and cracked his knuckles. "Time for some aggressive negotiations." he then went silent, face completely focused on the orange glow of his omnitool. Streams of symbols reflected themselves on his helmet's faceplate. A full ten minutes passed where Harry kept all his senses at full stretch, expecting an alarm to go off at any second.

In the end, though, Harper was as good as his word. "Aha! Got you!" he stated triumphantly. "We are in, Ghost. I have full access. Now, to clear our entry with the backup V.I. on the Secondary Server." another silent battle, and one could almost hear the man gritting his teeth. "Done! We're on the game."

Harry released a breath. "Great job, Harper. What have you got?"

"Full access to cameras, sensors, and security systems. As long as we don't start doing anything absurd, I can cover all of your movements. You just have to worry about not being seen by organic eyes."

"Shouldn't be too much trouble. Can you operate the system remotely?"

He shook his head. "This system is very well-designed. The V.I. is programmed to check itself against a template and clear all users after each log-out. Messing around with its basic routines is something I really don't want to try in our current situation. This room is completely impervious to wireless transmissions. By the time I get to another terminal, my clearance will have been revoked."

"Guess I go alone, then. You will get started on their navigation systems?"

The man gave a serious nod. "It will be risky. The security V.I. supervises all network activity, yes, but each individual system has its own program to oversee it. But I will get what we need, don't worry."

The Custodian had the additional task of getting astrogation coordinates, communication protocols and other data on both the famous Citadel and the races' homeworlds. If Vakarian refused to help, they would appeal to the other races on their own.

"I know. So, can you find our lass?"

"Way ahead of you. She has entered a… recreation room? Not ten minutes ago. There are six others with her."

"How do I get there?"

"Go outside and take the second door to your left. On the wall you'll find a red-colored hatch. That's an access to a service tunnel. It will take you almost two-thirds of the way, and I will guide you from there."

"Got it." Harry started to 'swim' towards the door. Using the service tunnels would also allow him to drop his Disillusionment for a time. All the heavy casting on the last few weeks was quickly getting his Magic back in top shape. But a little rest never hurt.

"And here, I can restore gravity to the room."

"What? Wait…" suddenly, he had weight again. *thump* "Oooff! You taking the piss with me, Harper?"

"Need a hug?"

"Oh, go stuff yourself."

* * *

The burst of automatic fire was easily stopped by his barrier. Before the human could return to his cover, two shots from Saren's assault rifle blew of his right arm. His shocked pain was short-lived, as the second burst pulverized the man's chest.

"Asha, give me a Throw!" shouted Krelian. Shining in ethereal fire, he raised both arms in the direction of two soldiers crouching behind a stalagmite. The area around them lit up in a blue haze, and both started to float helplessly, one even dropped his gun.

The small female thrust her arm to them. "Embrace eternity, fools!" Two bolts of dark energy shot out and each impacted a human. They were blasted against the nearby wall with crushing force, the rock cracking behind them. They fell down to the ground and did not rise.

Anger, terror and shock.

One needed not be a member of the same species to recognize these emotions. As he used another light-powered biotic Shockwave to topple one of the smaller tents, trapping the terrified humans inside, Saren watched as the aliens ran around blindly. A loud alarm blared. Coupled with the screams, the sound of mass accelerator fire and the dull blasts of biotic detonations, what was once a safe haven had turned into a place of utter chaos.

Some of the humans tried to stay inside of their makeshift homes, somehow thinking the flimsy fabric walls could protect them. Some stood paralyzed in shock, unwilling to believe in what was happening before their eyes. Most made for the tunnel at the other side from where they entered.

With a touch on his omnitool, Saren detonated the explosive charges. Like Krelian had said, the cave didn't shook. But it was _loud_, the enclosed space forcing the sound to reverberate around the red rocks, deafeningly. It was enough to disorient the unprotected civilians closest to the exit. He could see from his position as tons of red rock fell down, the tunnel collapsing, trapping the terrified creatures in here with them. After the dust settled, a bloody arm could be seen sticking out from the rocks.

Good, that should send the other humans into further panic.

"Hostile at four-o'clock." called Krelian.

Meera's _Punisher _sniper rifle thundered once, and the human soldier up on a rise at the far end of the chamber splattered the rock behind him with his red blood.

"Done."

That was the last soldier inside this chamber. Their path to the depot was clear, as the humans tried to put as much distance as was possible from the Cabal.

The lieutenant allowed his fierce satisfaction for a moment, before ruthlessly suppressing the feeling. They had watched the civilians for a time, while they gathered information and prepared. Even without translation, they could see many arguing in raised voices with the uniformed humans. It was not hard to imagine why. These people had all been idling beneath the earth, behaving as if they were not in danger, as if this measure their government had taken for their protection was just a waste of time, an annoyance.

Saren had far less pity for these selfish beings then he had for their soldiers. At least those men and women had courage, instead of running in fright and uncaring of who they trampled in their path. Not being armed was no excuse for such a pathetic display of cowardice.

"Tsk, the ones who attacked Talon really had thicker plates." Asha said, contemptuously. "They call those toys, 'guns'? And they might just as well not bother with armor."

"Keep your guard up all the same, sister." admonished Meera.

"Yeah, yeah."

They were only a few steps from the entrance to the depot. A square structure made of prefab metal plates. It was long and narrow, sequestered against a corner of the chamber. Two of the three entrances were open. Besides it, surrounded by a wire fence, a big pump extracted water from deep beneath them. A pipe went from the pump and inside the building. Behind it, two generators thrummed. A pile of crates was over by the nearest entrance.

Saren's helmet showed him the heat signatures of the three humans hiding at the corners of that doorway. They were clearly positioned for an ambush, and that was enough for him.

"Asha, Krelian, follow me. Meera, the rest of you secure the perimeter."

With just a moment to brace himself, he Charged the short distance towards the entrance. Enveloped in a Mass Effect field, Saren crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, leaving a trail of energy in his wake. The next moment, he was inside the door, with three startled faces looking at him. With short, precise movements, Saren shot each human once in the head, before they could even move.

They fell down, lifeless, and that seemed enough to break the other humans inside. Five males and three females put their hands up in surrender, a few babbling incomprehensibly in their native language. Some inane pleas for mercy, he was sure. Asha and Krelian entered behind him, and turned their weapons on the humans.

This side of the depot was dominated by rows of shelves and open crates, where he could see many kinds of packets, containers and fabrics. A large opening to the other side of the building revealed many closed crates, and the two big tanks used to store the water from the pump. His sensors could detect no other aliens inside.

"Krelian, bind them." he ordered, keeping his rifle up and making sure they understood the message. His sharp eyes caught something interesting. "And be careful with that young female, the one with dark head-fur. There's fire in her eyes."

He nodded, and took special care when binding the female's hands and feet. All the time, she glared straight at Krelian's visor. There was clearly not a sliver of fear there, and she was surrendering only because she realized how futile it would be to fight. Still, he would watch her closely.

"_Finally, a human civilian with some steel in her blood."_ Saren thought.

After all the civilians were bound and made to sit against a far wall, away from the entrances, the lieutenant turned to the two uniformed ones who Krelian had not bothered to secure. Without a word, he shot them dead. No trained officials to mount some kind of resistance.

The other humans shouted in fright. Except for the young female, who screamed at him in obvious rage. He ignored her. "Meera? How are things out there?"

"Under control, little brother." she sent back. "Still no armed response. The civilians are evacuating to the other chamber, none have tried to move against us"

"Good. Nerik, see if you can hijack that generator. We can use it to power our stationary barriers."

"Yes, Kabalim."

"Kerrick?"

It took a second for the Master Sergeant to respond. "The uniformed officials are directing people towards the third chamber, as we predicted. They are taking spare metal slabs and will probably try to block the tunnel. There's a force of nineteen humans gathering in front of that command area… they are leaving, Kabalim! They are headed your way."

"Good. Wait until they have entered the tunnel, then make your move. If you are found, we will make our way to you."

"Yes, sir."

"Kabalim, we can use this." called Nerik over the radio. "You can deploy the barriers."

"Meera?"

"On it."

Each one of them carried a portable cover. A slip of folding metal that could be put on the ground to generate a kinetic barrier large enough to easily protect a crouching soldier. With their internal batteries, they could take a few shots from a _quality _weapon. Hooked to an external power source, they could last five times longer.

Saren designated Krelian to watch over the humans. He then took position with Asha at the left entrance. They closed the right one. Meera and the last legionnaires took cover behind the orange-tinted temporary barriers.

Now, they waited.

* * *

"_Screw this!"_ Astrid thought to herself.

She sent half of her drone minions to scour every centimeter of the area over Shelter 05, because she wanted to know _exactly _how the birds had entered it. She had a suspicion now, about a shuttle that had made a low (relatively speaking) flight near the shelter not too long ago. These little spy flights had been ongoing since the invasion begun, which was why she had not paid it much mind, before.

That done, she sent a message to Marine Headquarters.

* * *

"Bastards!"

General Williams punched his desk hard enough that the joints of his fingers cracked. He looked at the images of the alien infiltration unit slaughtering every person in a blue uniform they could see. The civilians ran in panic.

So these were the biotics Harper's files told them about. Damn, that made this a hundred times worse. It seemed that only a kinetic barrier could protect someone against those, and their soldiers did not have them.

"How did they pass through our security?!"

"I don't think they did, General." replied Lieutenant Broody. His voice was much calmer but his eyes were no less fierce. "Unless they can become both invisible _and _pass through walls. We knew the shelters might have some unmapped tunnels, sir. Our enemy must have found one that we missed."

The general tried to rein in the towering fury he felt. Of all the things they had prepared for, such a deadly strike against the heart of a place they considered safe was certainly not one of them. "How many people do we have at that shelter, Broody?"

"We have forty Marines in the upper chambers, General. But the hostiles have cut off the access tunnels. We still have the rest of the platoon assigned to guard the lower chambers. They are already moving to engage."

Williams took a deep breath. "And non-combatants?"

"Four hundred on those three chambers, sir, give or take. Also, over a hundred are now trapped on the last chamber of the system."

"All right. Have the soldiers try to open their way through those rocks. I want the 4th Company to stand ready near the closest point that is still beneath the dome."

"Our sensors detect that a cruiser is already positioning itself over the shelter, sir."

"I know, Broody. But if they drop more people on that zone, we _will_ engage them. Let's pray that the soldiers already there can control the situation inside. Goddamnit! Just one more week to the Fleet's arrival! Even if we retake that cave, defending the place now that the birds know about it will be a nightmare!"

"Perhaps…" the lieutenant could not finish, because at that moment a message appeared on every monitor inside the Command Room. Bold red letters scrolled against a white background.

_"Dear soldiers, we can help your brave fellows subdue the enemy inside Shelter 05. However, in order to do that, I'm afraid all of your installations to the west of Central will be suffering some temporary technical difficulties. No harm will be done to your equipment or personnel, and services should be restored in a jiffy. Thank you for your attention."_

General Williams stood speechless for a moment, eyes wide. Then, he exploded.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"Sir!" Warrant Officer Lasky called, voice panicky. "We have lost all contact with the outposts west of Central and Shelter 03."

General Williams punched the table again. This time, it was the polished faux-wood that cracked.

* * *

Astrid's perception rode on the waves of Shanxi's magic. Now that she could focus more into a single direction, she could easily cover the additional kilometers to Shelter 05. Suddenly, every circuit inside the underground system was clear to her. She no longer needed to operate through the Alliance battle network. Now, she was inside that cave.

And she immediately felt the turian soldiers. All the high tech they carried made them shine like little stars to her conscience. She saw all the little sensors they had scattered inside the chambers, the line of communication relays going up what was surely a previously-unknown tunnel to the surface. She saw the lone soldier standing at the end of it. She sent her drones there. She blocked all of their comms, including the link to the ships above.

She activate every camera she could; on walls, on datapads, on helmets; along with every microphone. Dozens of different images appeared before her, and thousands of sounds could be heard. She easily pierced them together into a single data feed that would have made a little organic brain explode, no doubt.

_"Well, what do we have here?"_

There were eight enemies on the penultimate chamber of the system, inside what her data told was a water and power plant slash supply depot. But she also felt two presences moving next to the great hub of systems that composed the shelter's secondary control center and guard's barracks.

She could not see them through the cameras, even when she should. So, it seemed the birdies were using their nifty tactical cloaks. From what she understood, those were _the _most expensive gear a soldier could carry in the entire galaxy, made with extremely rare materials, including element zero, and easily costing the same as a corvette-weight warship. So they were only assigned to the greatest of infiltrators.

Well, time to take at least two of them out of commission. She wished she could just detonated the grenades they carried. But a Sylphid's nature would not allow her to directly harm a sentient living being.

Fuck you, Asimov! May it be that you burned in the deepest pits of hell.

But the pesky First Law did not applied to her entirely. She could still _indirectly _hurt the birds. Unlike her dear wizard, she had no compunctions about sending these assholes to join their precious Spirits. If the humans inside that tent chose to protect themselves, that was no fault of _hers_, was it?

"_Bye, bye, little birds."_ with a few thoughts, she deactivate all their gear. Their weapons, their shields, their cloaks, even their omnitools. She also filled their helmet's HUDs with every possible graphic and picture, and flooded their communicators with her favorite mid-70s punk rock.

The three jarheads left to guard the barracks immediately noticed the now visible aliens out in the open, who were desperately grabbing at their helmets. They opened fire after just a moment of shock. Now, human weapons might not be that good compared to the turian's, but without their shields and caught by surprise, both were quickly gunned down.

At the same time she had been dealing with the invisible duo, she had been looking at the other group of soldiers. She used their own helmet's cameras to spy on them, and soon saw their human captives. That complicated matters a little, and… _holy crap, was that the Bhatia chick?!_

Damn, if anything happened to that girl, Harry just might go postal on the turians. And he would be absolutely miserable afterwards.

But there was no avoiding it. The jarheads were starting to engage the turians, firing only against the ones outside the depot, afraid of hurting the people inside. Turian doctrine stated that no civilian should be used as a hostage, and the captives _had_ been put away from the line of fire. But who knew if this particular commander would hold on to that?

There was the matter of their biotics, though. She could have easily deactivated the implants that allowed the birds to produce Mass Effect fields, except for the fact they were _implants._ Her Magic recognized the interior of a sentient's body as inviolable, and forbid her from acting inside someone's flesh. Once more, Astrid cursed the limitations imposed on her, which she was usually fine with. They could not be broken.

Well, sometimes. Eliza, The Bitch, was proof of that.

Still, if the aliens found their fighting ability severely limited, would they consider surrendering? Only one way to find out!

* * *

"Argh! Goddess, what horrible noise is that?!"

Saren could barely hear Asha's shout over the disgusting sound. He quickly yanked his helmet off, throwing it to the side. Getting his bearings faster than all the others, he saw as Meera went down to a shot on her right leg, the barrier she had been using for cover failing. He immediately used his most powerful Throw on the stack of crates by the entrance, hurtling them into the human's position. They quickly moved into cover, and that allowed his other legionnaires time to find refuge in the depot. One of them dragged Meera inside.

"Kabalim, our weapons don't work! We have lost our barriers!" shouted one of his brothers.

"Knew this was going too smoothly." muttered Krelian.

"We can't reach the others! Our comms are completely dead!"

"The humans have stopped firing, at least. They are afraid to hurt their people." panted Meera. She was supporting herself against a shelf.

"All right?" he asked the woman softly.

"Just a minor wound, little brother. I won't be running anytime soon, but I can still throw biotic bolts." she answered. Now that she had taken off her helmet, he could see her light-brown plates. Her green eyes, the same color of her colony marks, stared defiantly at him.

He touched her forehead with the back of his hand, briefly, and she relaxed and closed her eyes for a moment. That was all the reassurance they could give each other, though. He turned to his Cabal.

"This must be the power the humans used to take out Talon!"

"Void-damned hackers!" grunted Asha. Conveniently forgetting that she, herself, was a hacker.

"What about Kerrick and Sahlia? Are they even alive?"

"Enough!" Saren said, calmly. Everyone went quiet.

"We are the 16th Fleet's Cabal." he spoke slowly, ice-blue eyes staring at each of the other's in turn. "Protectors of the turian people, blessed by the hidden power of the Galaxy. We don't need guns to fight. We don't need armor to stop enemy fire. We don't need explosives to tear our foes apart. And we will show that to the humans."

He closed his right hand in a fist, raised it to the air, and lit it on the glow of his biotics. All his brothers and sisters imitated the gesture, backs straight and eyes firm.

"The intangible is unstoppable." he intoned.

"The intangible is unstoppable!" they all said back.

Yes, they would show the humans.

* * *

"Shit!"

"What is it?!" Harry asked in alarm. He was currently crawling through a maintenance shaft, and had just arrived at some kind of system junction. Cables and pipes were all around him. On the ceiling, there was a grate from where he had just observed two women crossing the room above.

"Just a second!"

He once more had to wait while the operative worked on something, cursing under his breath.

"Okay… okay, we are good." he sounded slightly out of breath. "How the hell can a navigation V.I. be more clever than a security one?" he said, more to himself than to Harry. "I'm getting the astrogation data we need right now."

"Great! Any more scares?"

"Not at the moment, Ghost. Take the left tunnel."

He followed it, down a set of hand stairs and into the deck below. But when he turned to go further, he found his path blocked.

"Harper, there's a closed hatch in here."

"I see it. Let me just… oh."

The wizard sighed. "Yes?"

"That… is an emergency hatch. It's under the control of another V.I. I can't force it open without triggering an alarm with the second program. You'll have to get back to that exit on Deck 6 and use the corridors."

"Wait. If the hatch unlocks normally, will that V.I. send an alert?"

"Hum… no, it won't."

"Then I have it covered."

The wizard took out a piece of especially prepared chalk. He started to inscribe a trio of runes on the metallic surface.

"Are you… enchanting that hatch?" he asked. Harry had thought it was best to send the operative a live feed from his visor's camera. So he could look for anything the wizard missed.

"I can't put up permanent enchantments outside a magic field. No, this is just a one-shot Unlocking Array, a written form of the _Alohomora_. Basic stuff, really."

"It must be exasperating, not being able to cast your spells." he sounded sincerely commiserating.

Harry shook his head. "You get used to it, honestly. Having your wand suddenly being just a piece of wood isn't funny, but at least I'm long past the stage where I would forget myself and wave it around, looking foolish."

"I bet."

"Done." Harry put away the chalk and touched the freshly made array with his open hand, asking his Magic to provide the power. He was rewarded by the runes flashing brightly and the hatch unlocking. He wiped the burned-out remains of his work, and went inside.

"Okay, Ghost, you're almost there. Take the next floor exit you see, you'll come out on a storage room right next to Vakarian's location. Then you can cross a short, and empty, corridor to the recreation area. Oh, and good news; four of the soldiers have just left. It's only the Commander and two others in there, now."

"Let's hope they leave soon, too."

"I have to say, turians got a very interesting idea of recreation."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

A short time later, the wizard was standing in front of another door. Behind it was the woman he had come to try and get to help the humans of Shanxi. Now, he just needed to get her alone and convince her not have the three hundred soldiers under her command shoot him dead.

Easy.

"I think I can send you the feed from the security camera." The Custodian suggested.

"Don't bother, I have a better way." he took out another item; an elegant gold-filled monocle attached to a black chain. If one were to look very closely, they would see tiny eyes engraved on the edges of the lens. "Just make sure no one is nearby."

"You're good, Ghost."

This was what Astrid had been concerned about. His Magic was horrible at multi-tasking. He could freely activate individual enchantments on the same item or set, like his clothes, but could not power entirely different items simultaneously. To use the Thief's Eye, he would need to drop the Disillusionment.

Doing just that, he held the monocle in front of his right eye, coincidently catching his camera, and activated it.

"You are a veritable old-school spy, Mr. Wizard. Such nice gadgets."

"Yes, yes. All legitimate gear from Q Branch, itself." he answered, as he saw straight past the thick metal doors and walls, and got a good look at the room beyond.

"And a possible Bond fan, too? Such a rarity, these days."

"Had a colleague who was a movie addict. What about you?"

"Another of my College girlfriends."

"Just how many of those did you had?"

"Not enough."

Harry snorted. "Right. And I see what you meant."

The turian's 'recreation room' looked very much like a small, high-tech arena. Low stands lined the walls, and the central pit had a shooting range, obstacle course, and what were undoubtedly fighting rings. On one such ring, three figures were having it out in hand-to-hand. Harry rotated the monocle's frame, and the image zoomed in on the combatants. It was clearly a two-versus-one match; a turian woman clad in an indigo-blue suit against her bigger male adversaries. It was good they all had some armor, because those people were not holding any punches.

"That's High Commander Vakarian? Sweet Titania, she's good."

Harry considered himself fairly decent at CQC. He had gotten a good foundation during Auror training, but had also pursued independent instruction on the non-magical world.

Yet he could tell only by watching her that Mavis Vakarian had him outclassed, at least where pure skill was concerned. The two men were very good and tried to coordinate their strikes to leave the officer with no room to maneuver, but she waved through them like water. Every attack got dodged or deflected, and she struck back with hands, feet, knees and elbows. Most of the time, one of them was gathering his wits on the floor while the other held on for dear life. And it was obvious she was going easy on them.

"Interesting…" Harper commented. "Most modern human fighting styles rely heavily on grappling and wrestling techniques. I know they are a little limited when facing more than one opponent, but the turians seem to eschew them entirely."

"Well, remember that these people come with sharp edges. Wrestling might be just a little too dangerous for the attacker as well."

"Indeed. So, what's the next move?"

"I go inside, wait for them to finish, and follow her until she's alone. Then I try to say my piece, preferably at a time when she's a little lower on their equivalent of adrenaline." he deactivated the Thief's Eye and put it away, bringing his Disillusionment back up. "I will need your help, Harper. Warn me when they all have their backs to this door."

"Got it." he did not have to wait long. "Now!"

Quickly, he opened the door and went inside. Sure enough, both men were on the ground and in no condition to pay attention to their surroundings, and Vakarian herself had her back to him, watching her soldiers with hands on her hips.

He got close enough to hear them. "…your left foot, Aestes. And you, Sergeant, really need to improve your high guard. You won't always be the tallest fighter in a ring, and most asari huntresses love jumping around. Unlike most, they can actually do it without getting themselves killed."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Got it, Commander."

She nodded. "Now get out of here, you two. Match's over. And don't forget to check in with medical before you go back to your shifts."

The mandibles of the first soldier slacked a little, and his voice dropped in disappointment. "Really, Commander? You promised us three rounds."

The woman crossed her arms and inclined her head. "By my count, Corporal, you had _nine_ rounds, and the Sergeant got eight. I think that's enough to last you both until next time. And don't think you don't own me those bottles we agreed on, legionnaires. My Mate loves them."

Grumbling good-naturedly, the two enlisted soldiers got out of the ring and went to a door opposite from where Harry had entered. Probably to the crew's quarters, after their check-up. Commander Vakarian had watched then leave, before stepping down from the ring herself. She did not go to either of the exits, though. Instead, she started walking in the direction of a smaller door at the back of the arena. And Harry followed after her, keeping a good ten steps away.

He pondered his impending conversation all the way to their destination. Arriving at the door, it opened to admit the Commander. Harry was going to follow, but stopped cold at what he could see on the other side.

Smooth floor and walls, some sinks, and what looked suspiciously like a row of showerheads on the far wall. The door closed.

"Ahh, Ghost?" Harper gave a very suspicious cough. "Is that a… woman's bathroom?"

The wizard spoke very slowly. "It is a unisex, military shower room, Harper."

"But still _effectively_ a woman's bathroom at the moment, yes?"

"Do you have any idea just how many nasty curses my people came up with during the centuries, Harper?"

"My lips are sealed." he said, solemnly.

"See that they are." the wizard sighed, and put a hand on his neck.

"Look, Ghost, I know how… disreputable this might look, but she is alone now, she's unarmed, and that room is small, isolated and easily secured. I can block communications on that section of the ship, and no one else will know. If you let her leave, who can tell when you'll have another chance?"

"Argh, I know!" he resisted the urge to slump. He took out the Thief's Eye again. "How do I get myself into these situations?"

The Custodian discreetly cleared his throat when he saw what Harry was holding.

"I'm just going to check if she's decent!" he bit out through gritted teeth.

"Yes, yes, of course. Nobody said you weren't."

"_Everyone's a bloody comedian these days."_ he verified that Vakarian was fully clothed (thank Merlin), and was fiddling with one of the sinks.

"All right, Harper. Lock the door after I enter."

"Roger." the 'behave yourself' was left unsaid.

"This is going to be a very bad first impression." he straightened. Well, Gryffindors charge ahead. Ready to activate the shield arrays on his dragon hide armor at a moment's notice, he used his omnitool to open the door. Like all others, it 'pinged' for a second, before sliding open. He walked inside with both hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"High Comm…" he stopped cold just after crossing the portal.

The room was empty.

"_Bugger."_

It was pure instinct that made him dodge the strike which came from his left. He rolled forward, catching only a glimpse of the woman he wanted to speak with coming out of her own invisibility, omnitool crackling with electrical energy. On the same movement, he smoothly drew his battle rod, already charging the Body Freezing array, which made the light-blue crystal lit up in a darker blue light. Coming out of the roll, he quickly turned to the officer and again put a hand up. "Wait…" a split-second later he noticed the faint beeping sound coming from next to him.

From the sink Vakarian had been using earlier.

"GHOST!"

A deafening 'bang' and a blinding flash. The detonation flung him to the floor, his rod flying from his grip. Thanks to his armor and visor, the blast itself did little but rattle him. Hitting one's head against a metal surface would never lose its charm, though.

"Ghost, get yourself together! Vakarian has contacted security, somehow! She didn't even _try _to use the primary channels!"

He was still getting his bearings when he felt a foot turning him over and a weight dropping onto his chest. He felt a hand taking his pistol out of its holster, and finally found his voice. "Wait, damnit! I'm not here to fight, lass! We need to talk!"

"Then talk fast, human." he looked up into the barrel of his own gun, just an inch from his face. He followed it to the fierce, but surprisingly calm blue eyes of Mavis Vakarian. Her other hand glowed in the orange hologram, a red ball of energy burning on the palm. Her voice expressed only deadly curiosity. "Because you have to the count of five to tell me _exactly_ how you got into my ship."

Yep! Worst first impression _ever_.

* * *

Author Notes:

Holly crap, almost two months! Please don't kill me, folks.

I was naïve to think my workload would get lighter after mid-term exams. It doubled. Had to write two papers in the last month.

Coupled with that, my company has finally decided to move out from using Excel spreadsheets, and is implementing a proper integrated management software. Great news, except that it has consumed my Saturdays with lessons on the system's use and running simulations. At least I'm getting paid overtime for it.

Anyway, I hope you like this one. Despite the long wait, it was actually written in a rush. Bad news is, I can't honestly say it will not take another month for the next chapter. Until I get time off from University at early July, I don't think I can do any better.

Thank you very much for all the reviews. I missed some of you in all the confusion over the last weeks. To those that didn't get an answer, I deeply apologize.

Until next time,

Fish


	9. Chapter 8: Basics of War

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**.**

**Basics of War**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Samesh, I need you to stay right here while I look for your sister."

"But mother!"

"No buts, son! Not now."

It was chaos, people all around them screamed and cried in fear, anger and pain. Terror shone from almost every gaze. Hundreds were now cramping together on the chamber, trapped by the collapsed tunnels on one side, and the fighting going on at the other. More came in all the time. Some people were covered in red dust and many had light wounds. A few sported much more serious lesions; deep lacerations and broken bones. All anyone cared about was to put as much distance between themselves and the aliens as possible.

"They are m-monsters! A-all… all spiked and, and… just monsters!"

"Please, God, don't let them come here. Please keep my family safe."

"Fuckers killed 'Dana! I'll fucking kill them!"

"You're going to die, that's what'll happen! Stay the fucking put!"

"It just, blasted that Marine apart with some blue energy! Is that… what was that?!"

"PSYCHIC POWERS! I TOLD YOU ALL, UNBELIEVERS! I TOLD YOU!"

"Grandpa! Please, sit down!"

Colonial Officials tried their best to keep the order, but it was a grim battle. They could barely keep people from lashing out against each other in their panic. Avani had managed to retreat with her son to a relatively calm spot. The Baumanns and the Flints were there too, along with many families with children. She hated the thought of leaving Samesh behind, but she was not going to take him in the middle of that terrified human mass. And she desperately needed to find her daughter.

"Mother, I want to come! I can look for Lucretia, too!"

Samesh was scared. His brown eyes spoke of that clearly enough. But he was not about to let fear stop him from helping to find his sister. A small part of Avani felt very proud.

A _much_ larger part of her wanted to slap him.

"Son." she took his hands in hers. "Listen very carefully. You are going to stay here with Mrs. Baumann and you are going to do everything she says. Do you understand?"

"But…"

"Do… You… Understand?" she allowed the absolute terror she was holding in tight to harden her words. Her son faltered at the rarely used tone. After a few seconds of staring each other in the eyes, he lowered his gaze.

"I… all right."

"Look at me, Samesh. Give me your word."

He raised his eyes again, and very reluctantly gave her his promise. She nodded, kissed his forehead, and looked up at Mrs. Baumann. The woman held her own four-years-old daughter in her arms. "Lenna…"

The auburn haired geneticist just shook her head. "Go, Avani. We will look after him."

Mr. Flint stepped forward. "Avani, I know you have to find Lucretia but… if you see Jerod, please…"

She nodded to him. "I'll make sure he gets here, I promise."

"Thank you. I would go myself, but my wife, she…"

"I know, Hortan. Look after her."

With one last look at her son, she went to search for her daughter.

For a time she simply ran, screaming Lucretia's name and looking around frantically. But her voice was just one among hundreds; even if the young woman had been near, it was unlikely that she would have heard anything. Every time she found an injured person who looked calm enough, she would try to ask them about her girl. She did that because the injured people were the ones most likely to have been on the supply depot's chamber.

So loud was the noise all around her, and so focused she was on her search, that she had probably missed the first few times when a voice called her name.

"Avani Bhatia! Calling Mrs. Avani Bhatia! Respond, damnit!"

For a wild second, she thought the faint female voice might have been Lucretia's. Until she realized that it was coming from her pocket. Remembering just what she had inside it, she quickly fished the small datapad Harry had given her many days before.

"I said respond, your retarded meatba… oh, finally!"

Avani decided to just altogether ignore the half-finished insult. "Who is this? Where is Harry?"

The voice was young-sounding and had a slightly melodious quality. It was accompanied by the same words being displayed on the pad's screen.

"My name is Astrid, and I'm a friend of Harry's. Go to someplace quieter, Ms. Bhatia. We need to talk."

"A friend? Why are you speaking to me? Where is Harry?" she repeated, this time more frantically. It was bad enough that their shelter was under attack and her daughter was missing. Was the Voyager in some serious trouble, too? "Did something happen? Is he all right?"

"Please, lady, calm your horses down. Look, Harry is just dandy. But he is doing a mission far away from the Settlements right now, and he can't come to your aid. He doesn't even know anything wrong is happening, I bet."

Avani was walking quickly to a less crowded spot. She found a cut on the cave's wall large enough to fit her, and got inside. She split her attention between the pad in her hands and the looking out for her daughter.

"All right." she gave a suspicious glance to the screen. "And how do I know you really are Harry's friend? He never mentioned any… wait, do you mean 'Astrid' as in the name of Harry's ship?"

"A tribute," she answered quickly, "he and I go waaay back. Look, he never talked about me because I try to keep a low profile. I am a hacker by profession, you see. I've helped Harry during some of his trips, and I've been helping him fight the turians. Keeping tabs on the Alliance and the aliens, and all that crap."

Avani was not really sure how she should feel about all that. But she trusted the Voyager, _if_… "You still haven't told me anything to prove you are who you say you are."

"Right. This takes me to the reason I'm calling you. Harry gave you a yellow necklace and told you it was a device that could make you and others safe, after saying the passwords Activate Shelter. Does that follows?"

The mother blinked. Well, that was something her friend would not have told a stranger, all right.

"Believe me now?" she asked. Avani could hear just a trace of smugness.

"I suppose I do. What about the Harry's necklace?"

"I have access to the shelter's surveillance systems. Harry wanted me to keep an eye on you and your kids. I can't do much to repel the invaders, but I wanted to make sure you remembered that device. And honestly, I would suggest that you get your son now, and use it."

"What _is _it?" Avani asked. She believed Harry when he told her it would make her safe, but she needed to know exactly what it did. Especially if it could help her find Lucretia!

There was a short pause. When the woman spoke again, there was an audible reluctance. "All right, Ms. Bhatia. The necklace is a transportation device. It will take anyone touching it to a safe house Harry has prepared somewhere else on the planet."

Avani needed a moment to process that declaration. She spoke slowly. "Like… some kind of teleport? That's just... I don't doubt Harry's word Ms. Astrid, but... that's a little too much."

The voice had a healthy dose of sarcasm now. "Yeah, right. Because Mass Effect makes total sense. Look, it could be a magic portal generator, a tiny Mass Relay, or the damned TARDIS in disguise. Who cares, lady? Harry told you it would keep you safe; I'm telling you it does that by transporting people to a secure location. So you either believe Harry was telling the truth in the first place, or you don't."

The mother took a deep breath; she gave herself some time to think while looking over the throng of people once more. "Okay, I believe you." then, something the woman had told her clicked. "Wait, you are monitoring the cameras." her voice filled with hope. "Can you see my daughter anywhere? Is she safe?"

The voice was quiet. And that silence turned Avani's hope to cold dread. "You know, don't you? Where is my daughter, Ms. Astrid?"

If the voice had been reluctant before, it was doubly so now. "Your daughter is alive and unharmed, Ms. Bhatia." a pause. "But she is currently a hostage of the turian squad. She and four others are being kept inside the supply depot."

It was like being punched in the stomach. Avani's breath left her and her legs felt weak. Astrid was quick to continue.

"Look, the turians will not use civilians as meat shields. They are being kept in a back room and out from the line of fire."

Avani Bhatia took a deep breath and pushed all her fear away. She knew what she needed to do. "I'm going there." she announced, firmly.

"Excuse me?!"

"I said…" she repeated, already getting out of her wall entrance and looking over the exit tunnel. There were still people coming through, she was sure she could slip past the colony officials. "That I'm going there. If this thing is really some kind of teleport, I can use it to take my daughter away from danger."

"Are you out of you little organ… out of your mind, lady? The turians and the jarheads are going to go all out in that cave. What the hell do you think you can do?"

"My father was a soldier for his entire life, Ms. Astrid. I might not have followed in his footsteps, but he made it damn sure his daughter could handle herself." she found the nearest official who carried a pistol with him. He was directing people to the back of the cave, and was completely distracted. "And this will hardly be the first time I have to deal with dangerous men with guns."

She put the datapad away, Astrid's voice still screaming at her, as she approached the tall man. Skills learned a lifetime ago came back to her with disconcerting ease, and she joined the line only to suddenly slam into him.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, officer."

"Just get out of the way, Miss!"

"Of course, sorry."

She followed the other people only for long enough to lose the man from sight, then she went back to walking towards the exit tunnel. She secured the pistol inside her jacket, and took the pad out again.

"…is un-fucking-believable! Where does Harry finds these women?!"

Avani gave a sardonic smile. "I would say he is a man of luck, Ms. Astrid. So, are you going to help me?"

"Help you?!" she sounded so indignant, it was kind of cute. "To do what, take a headshot?! Get real, lady."

"Look, Harry told you to keep me safe, yes? I _am _going to get my daughter. You can't stop me from doing that. So the best way to keep me alive is to make sure I succeed, right?"

"Of all the stubborn… what about your son, Ms. Bhatia? You going to leave him behind?"

_That _made her pause. If Harry's necklace took her and Lucretia somewhere outside the shelter, Samesh would be left all alone. Who knew what else could happen? And she was _definitely _not taking him with her now. She was torn, but her window was closing; the officials were preparing to barricade the tunnel.

She made her decision. "My daughter is the one in mortal danger right now. If I can't bring her here, I will just give the necklace to her and come back for Samesh. I know what you're trying to do, Astrid, but you won't make me choose between my children. I _will_ see them both safe."

She begun walking again. After a few moments, she heard Astrid sigh, and her voice came resigned. "All right, lady. Here's the plan; on the next chamber there is that deactivated water station, remember? There is a shaft connecting the water pipes and some power lines to the functioning stations next to the depot. The shaft is too small for most people, but you and your daughter should be able to squeeze through. I can unlock the inspection hatches for you. You _might _be able to sneak up a back window while the turians are busy fighting up front."

"See? We make a good team already."

"Harry is so gonna freak out about this."

* * *

Desolas raised his head from his command console, where he had been looking at all the data Saren and his squad had been able to send, before their communications blackout. "Launch the transports." he ordered.

"General?"

He turned to the hesitant visage of his First Officer. Felix was a skilled soldier, an excellent organizer and a fair tactician. But he was far too much ingrained to all the customs and traditions that plagued their race. He had been loath to break the 'truce' with the humans, and only his respect for the chain-of-command kept him from protesting strongly. Desolas trusted him to oversee the Fleet, but had little respect for the man. Too much deluded honor in his head.

"You heard me correctly, Commander. I want the 8th Company deployed. Unless there is a tunnel leading all the way inside the dome, there must be another entrance somewhere above those caves. I want it found. Armed shuttles and hunter drones will survey the entire region while the transports wait at a safe distance. When it is found, air support will clear any external defenses and the troops will secure it. I will leave the specifics to the Ground Commander. The 13th Company will be on stand-by to provide reinforcements, if necessary."

He tilted his head, eyes narrowed, talons scratching a mandible lightly. "I want the _Ikthor _to get in position above the area, as well." it was their last operational frigate that was not on border patrol. He would not use Vakarian's, as those were needed to maintain constant screening duties around the planet. "We will use it to counter any possible local defenses."

He still had no idea what was the status of Saren and his biotic soldiers; preventing all sorts of communication seemed to be a standard trick of humanity. But that did not mean his young brother's cabal had been neutralized. For all they knew, the plan had worked and Saren was on his way back from the first tunnel. But Desolas would not wait for news, he was _done_ waiting. They needed to break this standstill with the humans and get this conflict moving again, and the first step was securing that entire civilian refuge. That would be a foothold the humans could not simply smash aside or ignore. The tunnel they had found was too narrow and tortuous to send large numbers in quickly enough, but the general was sure the humans had another hole hidden somewhere down there they could use.

He had played the cautious game from the beginning and it had not gotten him anywhere. He was not simply going to throw ships inside the dome, that would be foolishness, but he had almost two thousand soldiers and dozens of aircraft at his disposal; it was time to start using them. And if he lost a few more hundred legionnaires… well, it seemed that humanity was all too willing to give them back.

How very kind of them.

* * *

_"Why, in the name of all that's good and bright in the universe, did you go for your bleeding battle rod, Potter? If you had just activated the shield array, you wouldn't be in this position."_

Harry gave an internal sigh. Vakarian had surprised him. Truth was, he had been in very few confrontations in outer space, and his first instinct was still to prepare an offensive spell and trust his uniform's defensive enchantments to protect him. In space, he had to choose one or the other, and he chose wrong.

Ignoring the hard blue gaze that was trying to dig holes through his mask, he turned off his external speaker for a moment. "Harper, how are things looking?" he asked, calmly.

"I know how Vakarian alerted security." the Custodian answered promptly. By the sounds of frantic inputting, he seemed to be working furiously on the other side. "She activated her suit's distress beacon. The ship is on a general emergency alert and you have about twenty soldiers running to your location." he cursed. "Damn it! Should have thought of that!"

Well, it was better than an intruder alert, at least. "It slipped by me, too. Can you delay them without tipping your hand?"

"Working on it. Just do your thing." he grunted.

On top of his chest, legs pinning his arms quite securely and her glowing omnitool hovering ominously, Mavis Vakarian let out something very close to a snarl. "I'm waiting, human." she said, the grip on his gun hardening when he remained silent.

But Harry was distracted for a moment. Now that they were in physical contact, he could feel something… strange, coming from the woman's soul. Like an… echo. Well, a mystery to ponder at another time.

"I don't suppose we can sit down and talk this out over some tea?" he tried.

"No, we can't. You have three seconds."

Now he sighed for real. "All right, look; you're doing it wrong, Commander. We both know I'm not going to spill my secrets to you just because you have that gun pointed at my face. And I could still be dangerous. First, you need to make sure I'm properly subdued. The interrogation comes later."

She looked intently at him for a second, then nodded. "You're right, of course."

Faster than he thought possible, the fiery red light on her omnitool changed to an electrical blue, and she trusted her hand at his chest.

But he was prepared, this time. The moment her arm started moving, he had already activated the shield array. White lines and runes lit up over his black armor and her charged palm-strike splashed harmlessly against an invisible layer of arcane energy, throwing bright sparks all over. He didn't feel a tingle, and made no move to throw her off him afterwards. She did that herself, jumping away from him at the sudden flashing of the array with a speed and fluid grace that one would not expect from a hard and jagged turian. In a moment she was five steps away, gun's barrel never having left its target.

"Humm, interesting." she tilted her head, eyes scrutinizing him from head to toe. "That is definitely not a kinetic barrier."

Harry got up slowly, keeping his hands in sight at all times. "Perhaps. But now you know I have some protection against that kind of attack. So you can either have another go to see if it's something that can be used repeatedly, or you can try something else."

"My tech mine worked well enough." she pointed out.

"That it did." he nodded. From the corner of his eyes, he saw his battle rod laying on the floor to his left. His visor also showed him a second mine hidden next to some kind of dispenser, on the wall opposite the sinks. The sink where the first mine had been hidden was all bent out of shape, but no water was spraying out. Tough stuff. "You could try another one."

"I have a strange feeling it won't work while your armor is glowing like that. Actually, I have a feeling that by not finishing you off when I had the chance, I'm now at a serious disadvantage, human." despite that, he could see her mind working furiously.

He nodded again. The Thrice-Layered Mantle he had inscribed on his armor was better than the basic _Protego_, which usually would only block a single attack before needing to be re-cast, but nowhere near the overwhelmingly powerful _Aegis_ full-body shield he had used at the turian base. "But killing me would not have told you if there are others still lurking around your ship, or what we might have messed with." he complemented her thought. She tilted her head in acknowledgement.

They were circling each other slowly. Vakarian watched his every twitch with the sharpness of a hawk. He disliked the 'birds' moniker many people used to refer to the turians, but it was an apt one.

"Ghost," came Harper's voice, mild relief coating it, "Vakarian's grenade might have been a blessing, after all. I used the explosion as an excuse to make the Emergency Procedures protocol put the whole arena on lockdown. Techs are trying to lift it remotely, but I can stop those efforts. That should buy you a few minutes."

"Thank you, Harper. Get ready to fly at any moment."

"I'll set things up so we have a clear path."

"You say you're not here to harm me or my crew?" Vakarian asked him, sounding for all the world as if they were just having a friendly chat. He was still surprised by how calmly she was taking the situation.

She was still ready to try and bring him down at the first provocation, though.

"That's right." he answered. "High Commander, I know it's almost impossible, foolish even, to believe. I know such a blatant security breach of your ship isn't something that can be ignored. I know you're worried about the implications of my presence here to the safety of the whole Fleet." he calculated the distance to his rod and to Vakarian. He calculated the time it would take to reach from one to the other. He knew she was doing the same. "But I really couldn't just ring you up to tell we were coming, you see. I needed to speak with you, and only you, personally, to make a proposal."

She could barely refrain from scoffing at that. "Having recognized hostiles stalking unnoticed inside my ship isn't going to get me into an agreeable mood, human."

"I understand." he gestured soothingly. "Truly, I do. But I had no other choice, as I did not want our conversation to be known by the rest of your forces." her eyes narrowed, and he knew she understood what he meant. "Again, I assure you this is _not_ an attempt to take out or capture your cruiser. This isn't an attempt to strike a blow against your fleet. I'm not interested in some minor victory like that."

Her mouth and mandibles opened very slightly in sarcastic mirth. He was thankful for Legilimency, because he could match completely alien expressions to their emotions. "I would not call neutralizing a quarter of the invading force over your planet, or acquiring such a powerful asset a 'minor victory', human."

They had inverted their original positions. "It is a very minor victory, High Commander, when we think about all that is at stake."

"You don't want to liberate your colony?" if she had eyebrows, he was sure one of them would be high up. The left one, he waged.

He let his voice become hard. "I do. _Never _doubt that." then, he sighed. "But this isn't just about Shanxi, Commander. Suppose we destroy all your cruisers and frigates hovering over the colony. The planet is free, everybody is happy. Hooray for humanity." he clapped his hands; she looked confused. Obviously, the gesture did not translate. "But then, we will have to destroy your next fleet. Then the next, and the one after that. Here at Shanxi, in deep space, or even at our homeworld's skies." he shook his head. "When does it ends?"

"That is war at its most basic, human." she shrugged, shifting her stance minutely. "Strike and counter-strike, one battle at a time. Two forces breaking against each other until only one is capable, or willing, to keep fighting."

Harry scoffed, unable to keep the mild derisiveness out of his voice. "Oh yes, we will have a lot of broken things by that time, I'm sure; broken ships, broken bases, broken cities, broken planets." Harry stopped circling. Vakarian stopped, too. "And a bloody whole lot of broken people."

The High Commander observed him. Harry needed to be honest here; he had not felt so exposed by another's gaze since he was a teenager, sitting in the office of Hogwarts' Headmaster.

"I value diplomacy, human. Though I suspect you already knew that." she spoke slowly, eyes glinting. "I like to think I try as hard as possible not to engage in pointless violence." then, her mandibles pressed together and her voice sharpened. "But I would not have chosen to stay in the Legions if I didn't believe that armed conflict is not only necessary, but many times, preferable."

"She's stalling, Ghost. Humoring you until her soldiers arrive." Harper remarked.

"She is. But she is also _listening_, Jack. How is it going?"

"Everything is ready on this end. There are some eleven soldiers waiting outside the doors to the arena. They can't lift the lockdown, but it seems the highest-ranking acting commanding officer can locally override any system directive. With Vakarian's status uncertain, that power falls to a Lieutenant Adrien Victus. He should arrive there in two minutes."

"Understood." to Vakarian, he said. "That is true, Commander. So tell me, you believe this First Contact between our people is one of those circumstances where war is necessary? Preferable? You believe humanity is a barbarian horde that must be stopped? Or that we are children carrying guns? That seems like the Hierarchy's argument for this siege."

The woman kept her gaze locked on his amber visor. She was next to his discarded battle rod now, and carefully kicked the implement further out of his reach. "No, I don't believe so. I believe this has been a series of hasty and stupid decisions from the start, and I blame my superiors for most of them." she shook her head. "But whether I agree or not with this intervention is irrelevant. My duty is to serve and protect the turian people, first and foremost."

Harry opened his arms. "And how can you best serve your people, High Commander Vakarian? By waiting here to engage any human ships that may come to liberate the system, while your General blasts away the homes of innocent colonists? I know this is still little more than a police action to Palaven, but from Earth's point of view, war has already begun. All the people and leaders on Earth know at this moment is that the first alien species we have met has greeted us with fire and death. That turians are merciless monsters laying siege to one of our colonies. The people want payback. The Alliance will come looking for blood, and we both know how the Hierarchy will respond to the challenge."

"It doesn't matter which one of us is more advanced, or has more ships, or more soldiers, Commander. It really doesn't. Because if we go to war, one or both of us is going to cause a lot of death and suffering to people who will have no choice but to try and defend themselves. You might blast your way through our fleets and conquer our homeworld, or we might do the same thing to you. Forgive me if I don't see any glorious victors in either case."

The woman's eyes bore into his visor, and Harry once again felt as if she could see past them. He dropped his arms. "I don't _care_ who is in the wrong and who is in the right here, Commander. I don't particularly care about who shot who first. All I know is that _we need to prevent that war! _I don't want more blood spilled on either side, and I think you don't want it, either. We _need_ to find a way to stop this situation from deteriorating even further, and trading shots against each other will not help. _That_ is the reason I came here."

The Commander just stood there. Thinking, considering. Harry was acutely aware of the seconds ticking by, but it was not as if he could hurry the woman.

"A worthy goal, human." Vakarian finally said. She tilted her head, and sent him a shrewd gaze. "But if that's what you want… why did you refuse General Arterius' proposal for a truce, after that little show of mettle? Why come to _me_ at all?"

He felt the spike of distrust from her when she talked about her immediate superior. Well, that was good. Very, very good. "Honestly, I don't trust your General Arterius, Commander. Call it a hunch, if you will, but I don't think he is an honorable man by either of our species' standards. His invitation for 'peace talks' sounded just like walking into the viper's nest to me."

She gave the turian equivalent of a frown. "Viper…?"

"A snake. Long and legless reptile species from my planet. Some have the habit of hiding in wait for their prey, attacking them with a blinding-fast, poisonous bite." he shrugged. "Nothing wrong with the animals themselves, of course. Most of the ones I met were cool blokes."

"I… see…" she did not.

Harry shook his head. "Anyway, they have long been associated with scheming and treachery. I think your General would not be inclined to help my people, unless we could be of use to him. And I hate to think what kind of use that man could have for humanity." the mysterious 'alien artefact' flashed in his mind.

After a long moment, she nodded. "Let us suppose, just for the sake of argument, that I would help you. How do you propose we stop this almost-war, human?"

Yes! "Well, I…"

Harper interrupted him. The man's voice was deadly calm. "Ghost, I've just intercepted a transmission from the bridge. One of the other cruisers is deploying all of its transports to Shanxi. And it seems they are also sending a frigate down."

Harry felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at Vakarian, who waited expectantly, even if her grip on the pistol had not gotten any lighter. _"No, no, no… not NOW! Arterius, you bloody WANKER!"_

"It's your call, Ghost." Harper continued, as if reading his mind. "I have the coordinates and protocol data we need. We can do this by ourselves."

The wizard suddenly found himself facing a difficult choice. He was starting to break through to Vakarian, he could _feel _it. The first emotion he had felt from her, when they locked eyes just before her mine detonated, was pure aggressiveness; a fierce desire to protect her crew. But now, much of the cold fury was gone, replaced by a _very_ cautious interest.

He could stay and finish convincing her, think about the big picture. Having a recognized officer backing them up would greatly expedite their contact with the people that could put a stop to this conflict. It could give their words more weight with either the Hierarchy or the Citadel. It could mean the difference between peace and war in the future.

But the colonists of Shanxi could be in danger _right now_. He knew Vakarian herself could do nothing to countermand any of the General's orders. Having her try to stop the attack would defeat the whole purpose of this meeting, anyway. Arterius would not risk sending more troops down unless the possible rewards were great, indeed. And if he was sending bleeding frigates to the atmosphere now, how long would it be before the Alliance responded and an orbital bombardment started?

No. In the end, there was really no choice at all. Not for him.

"I need to go." he told the High Commander. When she gave him an incredulous look, he elaborated. "It seems General Arterius decided to break our truce. He's attacking the colony again."

Her eyes widened, and he felt a spark of anger directed at the general in them. But then she suppressed her surprise at the news, and sent him an inscrutable gaze. Now he cursed passive Legilimency, which was all he could do in space. Identifying emotions was bloody useful, but did not tell him what exactly a person was thinking.

She slowly shook her head. "I don't think so, human. You were absolutely right, before. I really can't allow your breach of my ship to go ignored." she straightened imperiously. "Surrender yourself to my custody, please. You, and whatever companions you have inside this ship, will be my guests until we can finish our chat. I give you my oath that none of you will be harmed and that I won't report this to Arterius until I have considered your… proposal. If you can give me reassurances that my ship's systems are not compromised and provide details about the means by which you came here, I will even allow your party to leave in peace."

She meant everything she said. Of that, he had no doubt.

"I'm sorry, Commander. There is no time. If you're willing to speak again later, I will be more than happy to comply. You can even choose a time and place." he straightened, too. "But right now, I'll have to take my leave."

She tilted her head. "The other Ghosts of Shanxi should be enough to take care of Arterius, yes?"

"_That bloody name really caught up? Merlin's beard! I knew letting Astrid use it was a mistake!"_ aloud, he said. "I _need _to go, Commander. Please, allow me to. Innocents could be dying right now. Those colonists need help."

She felt for the civilians and soldiers of Shanxi, he could tell. And that really surprised Harry. Very few in this woman's position would be concerned with phantom people from a species that they had never met before. But she was also unyielding.

"I'm sorry human, I must think of my own first. If what you say is true, there are now probably hundreds of Arterius' legionnaires descending to your planet. But those are _my_ people, too. If you insist on fighting your way out, know that I have a lot of very skilled soldiers between this room and all exits, and they _will _shoot to kill. Do not force my hand."

The wizard sighed. Well, that seemed like a bridge that was about to be burned. Yet, his answer was simple. "Honestly, High Commander, you won't be able to stop me."

She shook the pistol in her hand slightly. "I still have your gun."

"Ah, yes. About that…" he shrugged his shoulders apologetically. All his muscles tensed for action. "That gun won't work for you."

She immediately pulled the trigger, aiming at his shoulder. When nothing but an empty 'click' sounded, she brought her omnitool up, palm now engulfed in frosty vapor. Harry was already dodging, and the small orb of super-cooled particles she shot at him passed only inches from his left side. As he advanced on her, he heard the metal of the wall behind him groaning in the snap-freeze.

Vakarian met his advance with a blinding-fast kick that he just blocked with an arm. A simple kick would never get past his shield. He then dodged her upwards thrust (using his own gun as a cudgel) and rolled beneath her following omnitool-charged strike. The universal fabricator suddenly sported a forked blade that once more crackled with who knew how many amps of electricity. Now _this_ one could be dangerous.

But Harry got past her, and dove for his battle rod. As his hand closed around the handle, he heard the sound of another incoming attack. He managed to turn quickly enough to bat the incoming fiery red ball aside with the rod. The plasma round did note detonate against the blue crystal, instead ricocheting at the nearby stalls and exploding. The heat wave must have covered the whole room but he felt nothing, dragon hide being the most fire-resistant material known to wizard-kind. The metal of the stall was glowing-hot where the round had struck, and then it was hit by the fraying jet coming from a ruined showerhead, filling the area with thick steam and the sound of evaporating water.

Fire, lightning and ice. An ultra sharp, silicon-carbine blade crafted in less than a second. Really, he could start casting spells in public and these people should not bat an eye. Probably think transfiguration was done by nanomachines or some such nonsense.

Vakarian stood in a battle stance, looking a little wearily at the blue implement on his hand. She slowly put his gun at a clamp on her leg, and her freed arm lit up in the light of _another_ omnitool.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief.

She shrugged. "Double the fun."

He took another look at the blackened wall. They were both becoming wet with the spraying water. "You're not holding any punches here, are you?"

"You looked like you could take it." she gave a challenging nod to him. And was that a turian smirk?

"Right."

He ran at her. She shot another cryogenic blast at him and he was too close to dodge, so this time he allowed the orb to explode against his chest. The impact of icy particles could not get past his arcane protection and he plowed through the white haze of vapor and the countless frozen droplets of water now falling to the ground, to meet the Commander's super-heated right fist. He caught her glowing, three-fingered hand on his own and held it, not feeling a thing thanks to his glove.

Again! That nagging feeling that something was wrong with Vakarian's soul.

The swift retaliatory strike to his ribs with the deadly omniblade on her left hand was almost enough to pierce the first layer of his shield. But before the runic array could take more energy to restore the layer, Harry deactivated the shield entirely as his Magic was needed elsewhere. Before Vakarian could get in another blow, or try some outrageous maneuver to escape him, he tapped her armored leg with his rod, Body-Freezing array charged.

A blue wave traveled through her whole body, and she was completely immobilized. Both of her omnitools powered down.

"Really sorry about this, High Commander." he said. He took his hand from hers and reclaimed his pistol, after a few seconds of looking for the manual release of her magnetic clamp. He went to face her and looked at her eyes. He felt shock and weariness, yes, but not the panic or rage that he feared. "I truly hope we can talk again. I hope you can still find it in yourself to help us. We don't _need _to fight."

"You're surrounded, Ghost." Harper called him. The man had wisely remained silent while Harry and the Commander had their little fracas. "Seventeen contacts." he sent the camera images to his visor. Yep, almost a score of half-panicky turian soldiers were entering the cruiser's Recreation Room. "Lt. Victus has lifted the lockdown."

"Got it." he prepared the rod's Stunning array and put his hand on her shoulder, intending to lay her on the ground after she was unconscious.

And that was when he finally understood what he had felt weird in the woman's spirit. He almost dropped the rod.

"W-what?" he stepped away from her, gesturing accusingly with the glowing-red implement. "You are…?" he could not finish.

She was very confused. Until she saw where he was pointing at and understood what he was asking. If she could, she would have blinked in utter surprise. Her eyes screamed 'how the hell do you know that'?

But Harry was no longer looking at her. He was too busy feeling sorry for himself. "Holy bloody kneazles! I can't be _that_ unlucky!"

He was, of course.

Harry raised his head. Well, Stunning Vakarian was out of the question now. _Stupefy _was _not_ a gentle spell; it caused a very harsh systemic shock that left a person unconscious and weakened for hours, unless countered. Repeated use in a short time-frame could easily be fatal. And he was really not experienced enough with turian physiology to risk knocking her out with brute force, especially now that he knew her… condition.

He had to hurry. At Shanxi, that Body-Freezing Charm would last for over a day. Here, where ordinary magic could not sustain itself, the effects would fade after only a few minutes. She could already move her eyes and the tip of her fingers. With a thought, he went out of sight.

"Get yourself to the hangar, Harper; we need to burn some serious leg. When Vakarian begins speaking again, everyone inside this ship will know about me."

"Why don't you just Stun her? That should give us some more time."

"I can't Stun her."

The man was baffled. "Why not?"

So Harry told him.

"How do you… you're sure?! All right… all right, I understand. Guess I don't need to bother being subtle, then. I'll meet you at the hangar, the path will be unlocked. Good luck, Mr. Wizard."

"You too, Harper." the holographic panel in front of the door turned from yellow to blue, showing that it was about to open. As a tall, dark-plated turian entered the room calling for his High Commander, he gave one last look at the frozen woman's back, and left.

* * *

"Mavis?! Are you all right?!"

Adrien Victus screamed as he almost punched the control panel to the door of the shower room. Even the couple of seconds it took for the metal plates to slide out of the way were too long for him, he wanted to blast the damn thing away! His Commander was in danger!

When he finally got inside, though, he stopped. The room was a mess. There was one large patch of frozen metal near him, a sink was torn, the air had the faint smell of ozone typical of large electrical discharges, and a section of the shower stalls was scorched black, a ruined pipe still blasting water over everything. And in the middle of the wreck stood his superior officer, stiff as a statue and in a pose as if she was struggling with some invisible enemy.

His surprise lasted only a second. The next instant, he was in front of the woman, patting away at her armor and looking for injuries. Finding none did little to quell his worries because she _would not move_! Only the fact her eyes were calm and conscious, sending him a reassuring gaze, kept him from fearing the worse. He paid no mind to the water drizzling over his head.

The High Commander was very slowly moving her neck and limbs, and her mouth and mandibles opened and closed minutely, little grunts coming out of her throat as she tried to speak. Victus took another look around the room; some of the legionnaires had secured the area, four standing guard at the corners and two at the door. A medical officer kneeled besides their Commander, omnitool doing a slow scan. An Engineering Corporal opened a panel at the wall and soon had the water stopped.

"What is wrong with her?" he demanded of the medic.

Said specialist shook his head, a growl of both frustration and bafflement on his throat. "Honestly, Lieutenant, that is just the problem; there's _nothing _wrong with the High Commander! Nothing that can explain this kind of paralysis! I wouldn't believe it if I could not clearly see her muscles pushing against some kind of invisible weight!"

With some effort, Adrien pushed down his alarm at those words. Mavis was alive and conscious, whatever force was upon her appeared to get weaker as more time passed. So he turned his attention to the next priority.

It was not hard to surmise that some kind of skirmish had taken place here. The damages around the room were not caused by some accident. They were the outcomes of a combat omnitool's attacks. Adrien looked at Mavis' eyes. "One of the soldiers attacked you, Commander?" it was almost unthinkable that a legionnaire would assault their Commander, but what else could it have been? "I'm taking the ship to hostiles' alert right now."

"N-n-no C-comms."

With how low and stilted her voice had been, Adrien was sure he had misunderstood her words. But her slowly shaking head and the look in her eyes confirmed them. "Commander?"

She shook her head more emphatically, and it was obvious the movement took great effort, judging by her very focused expression. Adrien had worked closely with this woman for almost a year now, and he could see the gears turning furiously fast behind the blue gaze. He had to wait two minutes before she was able to speak again.

"I-is the hu-human colony under a-attack?"

He blinked. How did she knew? "Yes, Commander."

Her eyes narrowed, and Adrien could see she had come to some kind of decision. "I w-want all outward Comms s-suspended." she said. She talked easier with each word, her voice gradually recovering the smoothness he was used to. "Every soldier is to a-arm themselves and be ready to engage Cloaked human intruders." he almost choked on his own spit at that. "They are to be taken in alive, if possible. Manually seal all airlocks and the fighter bays. Not lock, Adrien, _seal._ At least a squad for each one. Put the hangar in lockdown." suddenly, she regained enough movement to lose her balance, but he was ready to catch her. She sent him a quick look of gratitude, before turning serious again. "Get a squad to inspect each one of the Server Rooms. And get _Heltus _platoon in the hangar, full gear, and clear everyone else from it. I will coordinate things from the CIC."

The lieutenant suppressed the urge to retort sharply. For all that Mavis encouraged him to not just follow orders blindly, he did not think insubordination would be appreciated right now. Still, he wanted to know _what in the Void was going on._ "Commander, you can barely stand!"

"Then you'll just have to be my crutch for the moment, Adrien. Relay the orders." she waved the medic away and tugged him out of the room. Adrien had no choice but to support her. Grudgingly, he relayed her instructions as they went. While he did that, Mavis contacted the CIC and ordered their escort frigates to make a complete survey of the _Shadow's _exterior and immediate surroundings. By the time he was finished, they were out of the Recreation Room and Mavis was walking much better already, though she was still slow and wobbly.

"High Commander." the ship's Second Officer called back from the CIC, astonishment in his voice. "We just had an unknown vessel of about shuttle size break away from us! I… I have no idea how it came so close. It entered FTL before we could get a good look at it! Its entrance vector indicates it is heading towards the planet."

"Understood. Keep me informed if anything else happens."

"Yes, ma'am!" the man gave a small pause. "Are you all right, ma'am?"

"I'm fine, Lieutenant. Keep everyone tight up there."

"Of course."

Adrien looked at her sharply. "Humans inside the _Shadow_? A ship tailing us without us knowing? The vigilance systems compromised? That's just… right, I guess screaming that it's impossible would be pointless, but still… _how, _Commander?""

"That's the question, is it not? In any case, our guest is either gone already, which I doubt, or he is going to need another ship. Change of plans, Adrien. We are going to the hangar." then she told him the gist of the conversation she had with the human, and their short fight afterwards. They had just entered the elevator down to the hangar deck by the time she was finished, and the commander had almost completely recovered her movements.

The human had done that using some sort of glass baton? And his armor could just shrug off point-blank omnitool attacks without a barrier? What kind of tech was that? Still…

"How did you know?"

"About the human? Luck, actually." she shrugged while they watched the counter marking their way to Deck 8. "I caught a reflection of the doors closing on the ring's score panel. Then, I acted on a hunch."

Despite their situation, Adrien gave a short laugh. He doubted many other soldiers would immediately suspect that a Cloaked enemy was roaming around their cruiser. But then again, Mavis had been an infiltrator herself back in her field days. "So, by your orders of comms silence, I guess you are trying to keep this out of the General's ears, in case we can capture the humans?"

She nodded. The elevator opened and they ran down the corridor. They stopped at a nearby weapons locker so they both could get some weapons and helmets. Mavis was collapsing down a red-colored _Reaper _sniper rifle and attaching it to her armor when she finally answered.

"I'm very curious about hearing that man's plans, Adrien. His voice was different and he did not had sub-harmonics anymore, but I'm almost sure that was the same man that spoke with Desolas a week ago. He says his group is not interested in destroying our fleet, that they just want to stop a full war between our species. And call me crazy if you want, but I believe him."

He shook his head. Mavis had incredible instincts but this was stretching it _way _too far, in his opinion. Still, it was true that the human could have caused incredible damage to the _Shadow_ without any need for such theatrics. "But we will still try to stop him, or them, from leaving?"

They were running again. "Of course." she said, simply. "Like I told the human, I can't just let him leave to fight our brothers and sisters, no matter his ultimate goal. But if we can capture him alive, I will honor my words and hear everything he has to say before deciding on a course of action."

"You think we _can_ stop him?"

She looked straight ahead, gaze shrewd. "His suit is exceptional. It looks like what we would call light armor, but a concussion mine at point-blank only disoriented him for a few seconds. It _still _got him, though. Also, whatever he used to strengthen his armor even further seemed to deactivate just after my last stab. I don't know if it was overwhelmed, temporary or if he needs to direct energy to either his armor or his weapon, but it means his defenses are not perfect. Let's see how he fares against an entire platoon."

"That's assuming it is just one of them." he noted, and she nodded grimly.

* * *

"You're surrounded, turians! Drop your weapons and surrender, you will not be harmed!" came the loud, slightly mechanized voice.

"Well, well." said Asha, a sarcastic tilt to her flanging. Her left hand opened and closed compulsively, a clear sign of pent up aggression that was ready to boil over. "It seems someone has got a translator in there."

"Though it isn't nearly as good as what the humans that spoke with the General used. Those were absolutely flawless, from what I understand." Krelian remarked, as intrigued as their sister was angry.

Saren nodded, thoughts racing as he looked at the nineteen soldiers that had taken positions around the cave, covering behind rock formations and heavy crates. He could see they were roughly arranged in two lines, so the back one could cover the advance of the first. There was a female at the back carrying a long-barreled gun that was most likely some kind of sniper rifle. She would need to go first.

"Regardless, this confirms that these humans have access to at least some of the data from the soldiers of Talon." he said.

"So the 'Ghost' was lying." Asha scoffed. "They were Alliance operatives, after all."

Meera finished putting her leg armor plate back in place. Their medic could not do much besides injecting a powerful local anesthetic and dressing the wound. "It's not so hard to think that they may just be working together, sister." she told the younger soldier. Asha just scoffed again, clearly showing that it did not matter to her.

And perhaps she was right. Not at the moment, anyway.

"Still," Krelian spoke again, "interesting choice of words; 'drop your weapons'." he turned to Saren. "Are they just being cautious, or do they not know all our gear is useless?"

The Kabalim considered it. _Did_ these humans not know? Could they try to use some kind of bluff? No, he decided. Too risky, and there would be little point, anyway. Best they stick to what would work. He looked at his Cabal; they were all huddled inside the depot, useless weapons stashed away. Krelian was the only one with his rifle in hand, really a bluff in this case, as he kept an eye over the human civilians in the back. Those people were the only reason they were not under a rain of gunfire, he was sure.

"You have nowhere to run!" the human with the translator said again. His voice lacked harmonics, but the impatience was clear enough. "Surrender, now!"

"Oh, just shut up already!" Asha hissed.

"The humans want us to come out, I say we oblige them." Saren turned to two of his brothers. Both dark-plated legionnaires could perform a biotic Charge. Saren was no fool; the humans had hacked into every single piece of equipment they had and they were surrounded by discarded cameras and microphones. He used a sign language that was exclusive to his family; a long time tradition of every Cabal, as they were the quintessential turian infiltration units. He quickly conveyed his orders and received two nods in response.

He did the same for the other seven turians inside the room.

Asha gave him a bloodthirsty smile. "Oooh, you bet I will, little brother."

Meera just nodded. "Yes, Kabalim."

He looked all of his people in the eyes. In addition to biotics, all Cabal legionnaires received training in both electronic warfare and infiltration techniques. Some, like the Cabals of the _Armiger _Legion, still adopted modernized versions of the traditional Poison Gauntlets, first used by turian biotics during the Unification Wars. They were powerful weapons but very specialized, and required a long time to master. The _Vindex _Legion preferred a more versatile training. Saren felt no reason to be modest; he was the most powerful biotic of his group. He had mastered a wide collection of moves, both for short and long range (as much as there was a 'long' range to biotics). His two brothers, who would be accompanying him now, were close-range specialists; popularly know as 'Vanguards'. Their training focused on charging inside the enemy's position and causing as much havoc as possible. The rest of his people focused on greater range and the use of cover. Some, like Meera and Asha, favored moves that controlled the field of battle. Others, like Krelian, tried to inflict as much direct damage as they could.

They could _all _summon biotic Barriers. It was a basic skill for any biotic worth its plates, and it worked much the same as an ordinary armor-generated kinetic shield. Except that it did not last for long, and needed to be replaced every time it was overwhelmed. Those truly gifted in the move could create barriers more powerful than any artificial shield, and even weave both defenses together. The only reason Meera got herself shot was because the sudden failure of her shields caught her by surprise.

He straightened. "These humans have no kinetic barriers. They can do nothing to stop our attacks, except to cower behind their rocks. Let's flush them out, and break them."

Saren and his two brothers got into place, crouched next to the depot's left door. Others got into position at the corners. With a sharp thrust of her arm, Asha sent a Warp at the closed right door, the blue sphere of chaotic dark energy hit the metal and started to tear at it rapidly. After the frame had been weakened, she blasted the door outwards with a Throw. Meera changed places with Krelian, her wound made it best for her to take up the civilian-watching duties, and he joined Asha at that opening.

"Barriers!" the lieutenant ordered. Every turian was briefly enveloped in a bluish wave that soon faded. Unlike almost all other biotic moves, there was no gesture needed to stimulate the correct Eezo nodes inside their bodies.

The humans had noticed all the movement, of course. The voice now screamed in alarm. "This is your last warn…!"

"Go!" Saren screamed, and Charged.

His vision filled with blue light. A blink later, he was two dozen steps out of their shelter and next to a large stalagmite to the left of the humans. Almost instantly, his two brothers burst out of their own Charges next to him. One immediately stepped forward, his proficiency with the biotic Barrier greater than even Saren's. Behind them, the rest of the Cabal began to hurl everything they had into the enemy's front line from inside the relative safety of the depot's walls. Some of the humans opened fire on the legionnaire in front of him, his body lighting up in blue as the rounds impacted, but his overpowered Barrier held. His other brother gestured towards the female sniper in the distance and _yanked._ Her body was lit and Pulled into the air. Saren threw his most powerful Warp at her suspended form.

To her credit, the woman managed to take aim and get a good shot out with her rifle, even while she floated and his Warp arched rapidly towards her, something that Saren did not expect. The high-powered round came straight at him, managed to break through his Barrier, and scratched the side of his chest, tearing a good chunk of his ablative armor. A direct hit could have very well killed him. But in the end, she missed and he did not. His attack hit the human and her screams filled the cave, over even the clamor of gunfire and biotic bolts. Having your body being torn apart by a Warp was a painful way to die.

And not a fast one, either.

That threat eliminated, the three of them jumped into cover behind the red rocks. The humans screamed to each other in their alien language. Rounds hammered against his cover, and also towards the depot. He could see Asha and Krelian at the left exit, stepping in and out of cover to hurl a new dark energy bolt into the human ranks. He knew they could not coordinate a proper offensive with how quickly they had to retreat back into safety. There were over ten guns firing into their position, after all.

Time to give them some breathing room. He restored his Barrier and turned to his brothers.

"We will break the rear line. You two will take the left side. One attacks, the other defends."

They gave a quick sign of acknowledgement. At that moment, a small grey object arched over their cover. Acting by more instinct than thought, Saren blasted it with a Throw, sending it far away from them. It detonated next to one of the many civilian tents, filling the thick fabric with holes and slashes. A fragmentation grenade.

"Now!"

Saren rolled to the right of their cover, while his brothers went to the left. Once they were in the open, all three Charged straight into the human's rear line. The lieutenant came out of the Mass Effect tunnel next to a burly human male, who was standing behind his low cover and still aiming his rifle at where Saren had just been. The world slowed as he punched the man in the chest with all his momentum, his closed hand glowing. With the biotic field enveloping it, Saren felt armor, flesh and bone crushing beneath his fist. Then he grabbed the crumpling body and used it as a shield for the incoming fire.

The other humans finished Saren's job for him before they could stop shooting their companion. It was the time he needed for his Amp to cool down. He threw the body aside as he sent a Shockwave at the nearest soldier. The linear blast of gravitational force lifted the alien up and threw him violently against another standing just behind. Saren ignored the fallen soldiers for the moment, as he rolled beneath the fire of his last two standing enemies. Near his position, his Vanguard brothers coordinated their efforts to eliminate their targets; never stopping with their movement, one would step forward to soak up enemy fire while the other Lifted the humans up, followed shortly after by a Throw to smash them into the ground with bone-breaking force. Charging into their midst had left the human soldiers in disarray; they obviously had never trained to face a biotic squad. They could get no help from the front line, as those humans were too busy sheltering beneath the constant attacks coming from the depot.

Saren dodged one burst of fire, letting his Barrier soak up the next one. It almost went out but not quite. When he was close enough, both humans went behind their cover. He suppressed the urge to scoff and Charged at an angle, coming out behind the humans' backs. He rotated on his axis immediately after and jumped at the soldiers that where still turning to face him. He grabbed their heads, one in each hand, and smashed them with all his strength against the low wall. Before they could get their bearings, he sent a biotic-charged hook to the woman's chin, and got to see her helmet crack almost all the way to the top of her head. He turned and kicked the recovering man's left knee, making him loose his already precarious balance. Then he grabbed his head again, this time in both hands, and _twisted._

There was the thunder of a gun, and his Barrier died. He threw himself behind the cover the humans had been using. Saren did not need to look to know that one of the soldiers he had got with his Shockwave earlier had managed to pick himself up and was now coming at him screaming, wielding a shotgun. Blast after blast hit the rock at his back, but the lieutenant just waited, mentally counting the enemy's steps.

When he felt the human was about to break the corner, Saren Charged. The Mass Effect field that enveloped him while he dashed exploded when he rammed against the man. The lieutenant took no damage, while the human flew over ten meters before falling to the ground, a good portion of his armor shattered, his limbs twisted. His shotgun clattered to Saren's feet.

He surveyed the battle field. The ten soldiers on the first line where still pinned in place by the rest of his Cabal. His Vanguard brothers had finished their flank; one of them had a trail of blue blood on his right arm, but he signed that he was still good to fight.

Saren nodded and made sure that all the humans around him were unmoving. His entire body tingled with the feeling of accumulated static energy. His implants felt hot inside his flesh, but after three years in the Legions the sensation was now comforting, instead of unpleasant. Then he delivered quick instructions to his brothers, and they all Charged towards the rest of the humans.

* * *

Being a Sylphid meant that Astrid was very much like the infamous Artificial Intelligences of fiction. She might not have been a computer program, but she could do thousands of different stuff at the same time. If those tasks did not require the active use of her Magic, of course. Still, she was a very good multi-tasker.

Right now, for instance, she was monitoring thousands of data feeds, she was using her power to shield Alliance systems from the Shroud, she was messing with the turian soldiers' gear and she was even trying to convince that stupidly obstinate lady not to walk over to her death. She really should have kept her mouth shut about the daughter.

She was also dedicating a significant portion of her brainpower to cursing.

She had been doing it ever since the Elliot jarhead got himself gutted by one of the birds. She was currently speaking cuss words in the back of her mind in nothing less than 258 different languages, _including_ prothean and turian.

Simultaneously.

And as if her day could not get any worse, the Alliance long-distance sensors were detecting twenty-one armed turian transports coming down to the planet. She observed as they all descended to an area a good distance away from both the Shroud and Shelter 05. So distant, in fact, that they went out of Alliance sensor-range, but she could still observe them through her own minions that flew high above the shelter. And that was how she knew that seven of the transports had just detached from the main force and were making their way swiftly towards the area over 05.

She was torn. When they were close enough, she could very easily hack into those shuttles and force them to land, as she could not just make them explode _because_ _of her damned restrictions!_ But the question was, should she? A Sylphid was the ultimate nightmare of any modern army, where even the smallest gun was also a computer. Harry wanted to keep the full extent of her power a secret for as long as possible, even more so after they learned about the harsh restrictions on Artificial Intelligence supported by the Citadel Council. That, and the need to put up a show for the turians, is why Harry destroyed their base personally. She spared no mind for the squad inside Shelter 05. Those birds would not be coming out of that cave with their memories intact. If needed, she would crash a couple of drones on the entrance to the tunnel they used, and trap them all inside. Either the Marines would be able to defeat them or Harry would come back in time to take care of the lot.

She decided to wait and observe. She could always disable the transports at any time.

Soon the shuttles were flying low above Shelter 05, each one a small bonfire to her sight, and the local sensors could pick them up again. She kept an ear on both the Alliance and Hierarchy comms.

"General Williams, what are your orders?" came from the Alliance side.

"Hold, Commander." answered the rough voice of the general. "We can only engage them after they have their own soldiers on the ground. Anything else and the cruisers could obliterate us."

"Understood, sir."

Conversation on the E.T. side was also going strong.

"Drones are away! No signs of viable insertion points as of yet."

"Keep looking, legionnaires." came a raspy male's voice. "Pilots, remember to keep evasive patterns and maintain distance from each other."

A chorus of 'Yes, Commander!' came from the seven shuttles. Astrid was curious what their game was. Surely just throwing soldiers at the problem was not Arterius' only plan? She would bet the frigate that was now hovering just above Shanxi's Kármán line had something to do with it.

A conversation going on inside one of the turian crafts confirmed it.

"Do you think they will try to attack us?" a pilot asked to his companion.

"If they are stupid. The humans fire at us, and the _Ikthor _answers it with a shot straight to their heads. Even if they use a weapon from inside that dome, all it takes are two shots in different directions to learn a static gun's position."

Astrid shook her metaphorical head. It really was a losing proposition to fight a ground war against an opponent with orbital support. At that distance, a round from the frigate's main gun would take less than a second to reach the target. It would also be much more accurate than a cruiser's, and would not be powerful enough to endanger the caves below. General Williams was right, the Marines could only fight by making sure the turians themselves would be danger close.

And still…

"Everyone keep down!"

"Sergeant!"

"Hold your damn fire, Garret! Do _not_ use that RPG until I give the order! Da Silva, those guns ready?"

"Ready and smoking, sir!"

"Keep them steady."

The Marines keeping guard over Shelter 05's entrance were understandably freaked out. The cave mouth was hidden beneath large rock formations and some sparse foliage, but it would never have escaped such close scrutiny. Harry's protections were still standing strong, though. He had made all entrances Unplottable to electronic detection and non-human eyes. One of Astrid's job from the beginning was to 'simulate' those places on the Alliance sensors.

Of course, the jarheads needed to keep their cool and not try to attack the shuttles.

"What the fuck, Sergeant?! Them freaks screwing around? Second time that transport has passed close enough to spit. Are they blind?!"

"I… I don't get it more than you do, Private. But they don't seem to have located us yet. Until they do, we keep our heads down."

"Yes, sir!"

Just to make sure, Astrid decided to keep a tight rein on their weapons' triggers. No need to underestimate organic stupidity, after all.

For a time that pattern kept; the turian crafts went over and over the area, swarms of drones providing assistance. Many times they came within visual range of the entrance, but could not see past the Concealment Ward. The jarheads watched them with hearts in their throats.

"There's nothing here, Commander! Nothing but bare rock!" called one of the pilots.

"Unless we count those yellow lizards over there as humans in disguise." muttered a turian in another shuttle.

"Perhaps the entrance is located in another area, and connected to the caves by a tunnel? Or perhaps the entire system is much bigger than we estimated." noted another.

"Nothing from the humans yet."

"So much for promising to bring down any ships we sent to the surface." a sensors operator said with scorn.

"Should we widen the search field?" came a suggestion from someone on the larger group of transports in the distance.

A moment of ponderous silence. "Yes." agreed the Field Commander. "Rise the search perimeter by and additional five kilometers."

And it was at that moment that one of the hunter drones, flying so low as to raise a trail of red dust in its wake, passed exactly next to the entrance and went inside the ward lines. The Sylphid did not worry, the little guy would not be able to sense anyth…

With a bright flash and a scream of tearing metal, the hunter drone disintegrated, its smoking pieces falling to the ground in front of the astonished human soldiers.

…all right. That was _not _supposed to happen.

"We lost contact with a drone!"

"Send coordinates! Pilots check the area, watch each other's backs!"

Time stopped for Astrid, as she tried to come up with a reason as to _why_ the wards attacked that drone when it was just a machine. Unless…

Unless the Virtual Intelligence that operated the drone, while not in any way self-aware, was still complex enough for the Retaliation Wards to consider its directives as an intent to harm human beings.

_"Well, can anyone say 'backfire'?"_

"WHO SHOT THAT DRONE?!" the senior Marine screamed in his radio.

"No one, sir! Fucking thing just blew up all by itself!"

A command came from orbit. And lo and behold, it was General Moron himself. "Check that area with care, Commander. I believe we have found our humans."

Astrid added another forty-two languages to her cursing list. It evened the number to three hundred. She really liked round numbers.

* * *

"A lot of people with guns in there, Ghost."

"No kidding."

Both men were inside a maintenance corridor that ran besides the hangar's 'upper floor', parallel to the left catwalk. Harry was once again using the Thief's Glass to watch through the wall, with Harper keeping track by the feed from Harry's camera. Beyond the metal, wires and pipes, they could see nothing less than 24 turians in full armor strew around the cruiser's largest room, carrying mostly automatic rifles. They were scattered, both on the ground level and on the catwalks, always keeping at least a dozen steps from each other. They were all facing the two interior entrances to the hangar, but were also positioned in such a way that every soldier had at least two others covering them. It ensured that no large groups could be disabled with area attacks and that everyone could respond swiftly to one man going down. It was a good way to face a camouflaged foe.

"_Well, at least it is not three hundred."_ the wizard thought.

_This _time_, _Harry made a point to scan carefully for any traps, but could find no explosives hidden around. What he _could _see was a mean-looking machine gun turret that had been mounted by combat engineers near the large loading bay doors, allowing it to cover the entirety of the seventy-meter-long room. But the metal pillars surrounding the sixteen shuttle bays, eight at each side and four per level, provided plenty of cover, as did the many crates and equipment stations. Only the empty central lane was devoid of obstacles. He saw three soldiers bearing sniper rifles on the catwalks, and of course many likely had combat-optimized omnitools.

"Those lads sure work fast." he said softly.

Harper's grip on his rifle hardened, and he looked grim. "We need to borrow a ride, but we will need to lift that lockdown first. And there just might be enough firepower in there to bring a small ship down."

All transports were currently locked in place by some very big docking clamps, though it was more likely that their primary purpose was to keep the spacecrafts safe during harsh ship maneuvers. "I know. At least it seems Coré and Hislop made it out all right."

"There is that." the Custodian sent him a sideways glance. "You sure we can't convince Vakarian to just let us go?" he asked, only half-joking.

Harry laughed softly. "The High Commander has no wish to see humanity suffer, that I can tell you… but she won't jeopardize the lives of the turian soldiers on Shanxi. Can't say I blame her."

Harper nodded as he took another look up and down their tunnel. The Custodian obviously did not like one of them being exposed. "A shame, that. What now?"

Harry focused the Glass on a control booth that stood upon a raised platform at the end of the room, opposite the loading doors; a narrow space with large windows to overlook the entire hangar. He zoomed in. "Figure that is the most likely place from where you could lift the lockdown?"

He looked and nodded. "Most likely, yes. But they will know someone is messing with the local network the moment I slice in." he warned.

"I know. I see two more soldiers inside. Can you take care of them?"

"With your stylish cloak and this?" he patted his omnitool. "You bet."

The wizard tapped his free hand against a leg while he pondered. Really, there was just one way they were getting out of this ship now. "All right, Harper. After I open a path for you, get inside there and work on those clamps. Try to open the loading doors too, but I can take care of them if push comes to shove. When you are done with that, get a shuttle working."

"And you?"

He looked at the implement, green eyes narrowed. "I'll keep the ladies and gentlemen busy."

The other man scrutinized him for a few seconds. "Don't force yourself further then you can take, Mr. Wizard. You're no help to Shanxi dead."

Harry knew the Custodian was talking about more than just the number of enemies in the room. And he could feel a 'last of your kind' vibe hanging around that statement, as well.

"I'll be fine."

The man was not convinced, but relented. He checked his rifle. "Ready."

Harry took out his chalk. In a minute, he had inscribed a runic circle on the grey surface; seven larger runes surrounded by thirteen smaller ones. He checked the turians' position with the Glass one last time, before securing it and drawing his gun. "All right, Harper." he touched his left hand against the circle, channeling a good amount of power. And with a ripple the thick steel silently turned into a dense gray smoke. "In you go."

The man shot him an amused look, but shrugged his shoulders and stepped through. "Humm, interesting." Harry followed after him, and as soon as his hand stopped touching the wall, it solidified again. He looked at the soldiers, all of which had their backs to them.

"_Wrong direction, fellas."_

With a nod, the Custodian silently dropped down to the ground floor and started making his way to the control station, just walking past the clueless turians. The wizard gave him a little more time, then picked up one of the many small bottles he had on his belt. The glass had tiny symbols etched around it. Just holding the flask for now, he took aim at the first sniper on the opposite catwalk, and pulled the trigger. His pistol lit up in the familiar ruby lines, gold fire burned from the muzzle, and the man went down to unconsciousness with a red flash to his back.

And all hell broke loose.

"SOLDIER DOWN!" someone screamed.

The second sniper, also on the opposing elevated platform, got a Stunner to the head before she even begun to turn.

"They are on the back!"

He turned to his own side. The third sharpshooter was just ten steps from the wizard. Instead of trying to swing around, the man chose to vault over his cover. Harry got him in mid-air, and the bloke tumbled to the floor. That was when the bullets finally started to come. He threw himself behind a pillar, as shots rained around it.

"How in the Void did they get up there?!"

"It doesn't matter, keep the pressure!"

The many controlled bursts from assault rifles were soon joined by the loud, continuous scream of the automatic turret gun. Harry knew all that fire was meant to keep him in place and prevent him from Cloaking his way out, while the other soldiers on the catwalk moved in. He charged the alchemical rune-flask in his hand and the liquid within shone a pale indigo. The wizard calmly threw the flask around his cover, towards the turret on the ground floor.

"GRENADE!"

Two seconds later, the sound of electrical discharge filled the hangar as a large ball of lightning fried the deadly machine, to screams from the surrounding engineers. Harry took advantage of the momentary lull in the gunfire to gaze out of his cover. The catwalk he was on made for a long and open corridor where five legionnaires laid in wait. One of them was still in the open, moving over to his position. Harry swiftly put him into dreamland. Another one further along had just the tip of his shoulder peeking out from behind a crate. Harry got him too, and dashed over to the next pillar.

"Curse it!"

"Barriers don't work! Check your covers!"

Fire resumed from the opposing platforms; the soldiers on the lower level did not quite have the right angle to fire on him now. Harry took a quick look at the way those people were positioned, and then just as quickly shot at the metal wall in the middle of them. Instead of red lines, this time his pistol lit up in white-blue ones. The lingering Living Magic in his blood carried the runic-powered _Reducto_ through the dead space, to hit the wall on the other side of the hangar and blast a good chunk of it apart. It made all four soldiers standing on that catwalk dive to the floor.

"Spirits!"

"What kind of gun _is_ that?!"

With the lateral fire interrupted, it was time to clear this side. Harry checked his three enemies and stepped out of his cover…

"_Crap!"_

…only to receive a fireball to the stomach, courtesy of the nearest legionnaire's omnitool. The blast was like a heavyweight's haymaker and threw him to the floor. Just like with Vakarian, though, the searing plasma was no match for his armor. He rolled back into cover.

"_All right, that guy moved faster than I expected." _he thought, as he tried to recover his breath. He drew his battle rod.

"Is he down?!"

"Unconfirmed!"

Still, he decided against activating the Mantle for now. Instead, he nailed the roof above the catwalk with another _Reducto _shot. Two soldiers went back into cover, but the same man from before valiantly tried another fiery round at Harry. The wizard used his rod to deflect the new plasma sphere to the side, and then got the surprised turian right in the face. The last two soon followed. With the left catwalk now clear, Harry Disillusioned himself.

"Cloak!"

"Keep your eyes open!"

The wizard nimbly got down to the lower level. His boots had been made for stealth and he was silent as he crossed the floor, jumped to the top of a shuttle, and climbed up the right catwalk. The four soldiers there were closer together now, wearily scanning their surroundings. He got behind the first victim, and redirected his Magic to his rod, becoming visible again.

"_Surprise!"_

A hit to the back and the woman went down without hassle. While she dropped, he took aim and shot the farthest soldier of the group. The other two were still turning around to face him when he cleared the distance to the nearest one with a wall jump, shot the fourth on the chest along the way, and slammed the rod on the side of his helmeted face. A ringing 'CRACK' of crystal against metal had the poor guy spinning around once before finally hitting the floor.

Catwalks cleared. Twelve down, twelve more to go. The wizard had a huge advantage over the turians. Their barriers and armors meant nothing; all he needed to do was make sure his aim was true. And Harry seldom missed.

One of the doors to the hangar opened, and a single tall turian came in. Well, thirteen now. He hoped Harper could lock those down before more people joined this party.

Without wasting time, Harry dove behind a lifting crane. Shouts and orders flew around as he replaced his spent cartridge with a new one and heard the soldiers moving to get a line of sight to his position. Like before, no grenades came flying towards him, he was just too close to one fallen soldier or another for that, but no less than three cryogenic blasts impacted around his position in quick succession.

From where he was, he could see a little of the control booth that Harper had went to. And surely enough, he caught a glimpse of the two turians inside going down to bursts of electricity that, to them, had shot out of thin air.

Harry really was impressed with the Custodian. In less than a week, the man had learned how to hack alien systems, use their weapons and even pilot their shuttles. He was one hell of a combat engineer.

It seemed Harry was not the only one who noticed his actions, though. "There's another in the control station!" shouted a woman's voice.

"Sergeant, get there!" a man ordered.

_"Oh no, you don't."_

He had the high-ground now. Carefully moving along the catwalk, popping in and out of cover, he began hailing the moving soldiers. One went down, then another, and then a third one. He got a few stray rounds to his armor, but the shots from the turian assault rifles could not pierce the magical hide, and the tech mines a couple tried to use on him had no effect whatsoever, besides temporarily disabling his radio.

*BANG*

The wizard was thrown back violently by the force of the bullet that hit him in the right shoulder. He crashed against a piece of machinery and fell to the floor, gasping for breath. He was safe from any follow-up attacks, but his pistol had fled from his nerveless hand when the round impacted. As he had been leaning over the catwalk's side at the time, it fell down to the ground level and way out of his reach.

"Ghost!" called Harper, urgently.

"I'm fine!" he grunted through gritted teeth, pushing a hand against the wound. "Just keep working!"

A clear voice rang over the hangar, coming from the opposing catwalk. "Drop your weapons and surrender!"

Vakarian, of course. He and Harper were not the only ones who could turn invisible in that ship.

Harry focused past the rising pain beneath his right collarbone, and the warm blood seeping into his shirt. That had definitely been a sniper round. It was a testament to dragon hide's incredible toughness that a weapon designed to penetrate both kinetic barriers and heavy armor plates to kill in one shot had not just blew off his arm. From what he could see of the damage, it was what he would expect from an ordinary handgun. He grabbed a flask filled with a brownish potion, opened the lower portion of his mask, and quickly gulped down the contents. He also slapped a dose of medigel for good measure. The burning pain began to abate almost immediately.

He needed to wait for the potion to do its job. Like all other magical things in space, the concoction used his own Magic to power its effects. "I'm surprised that was not a headshot, Commander." he screamed to her, hoping to buy a little time. "You getting soft on me now?"

"We still need to finish our chat!" she screamed right back. "I see that none of my soldiers are dead. I don't know whether to thank you for the courtesy or call you foolish."

"Nothing is stopping you from doing both."

"Indeed. Trying to stay in my good graces, human?" he heard the heavy footsteps as soldiers moved below him.

"Just didn't want to leave our date in a sour note, Commander!"

There was a short pause. Was it his imagination, or did one of the other soldiers just gasp?

"I… think that expression did not translate right." she said, voice a little amused. "Did you just say that you came here to court me?"

Oh, right… he cleared his throat. "No, Commander. It really was just a mistranslation."

"Because you should know that I've got a Mate, already."

"I could have guessed that, yes." he said that last part to himself.

"Last chance, human. Surrender."

He felt a sharp throb and knew the tiny metallic fragments inside his flesh had just been disintegrated by the healing potion. The wound closed beneath the medical gel. Harry would need to take a very good look on that shoulder after this and he would probably not be able to avoid a new scar, but at least he could move his arm with only a little pain. His battle rod lit up in purple runes.

"Not today, Commander!"

He slammed the rod against his cover, and the large stack of crates was blasted over the catwalk's edge as if hit by a giant's hammer. The heavy containers crashed around the lower floor and turians everywhere threw themselves beneath the nearest cover, cursing all the time. Harry summoned his Mantle and jumped down for his pistol. While he fell, there was another thunder from a sniper rifle, but this time his Shield Charm easily stopped the shot. As his feet touched the ground, a more daring soldier nearby tried another of the cryogenic attacks at Harry, but the wizard just deflected it right back at him. The man's armor froze instantly.

There was Vakarian, up on the other side and with a massive blood-red rifle on her hands. Harry rolled over and picked up his gun again. He jumped for another cover and managed to get himself behind it just as she left a long gash on the terminal's side. He knew her gun would need a second to cool down, so he popped out and aimed a _Reducto _shot at the bottom of the catwalk a few steps away from her. The explosion forced her to seek shelter, and he used the opportunity to Stun two more turians, plus Mr. Frosty. He saw the last two soldiers that went to attack Harper standing very close together now. Close enough for another trick.

He readied another rune-flask, charged it, and threw it over to the soldiers…

…and the tiny bottle was promptly shot out by Vakarian's rifle, after having barely left his hand. The ice-blue liquid within splashed harmlessly over a control table, the magic he had channeled to the potion not having the time to manifest thanks to the delaying runes.

Damn, that woman could shoot!

Just then, all the lights in the hangar switched from white, to blue. A siren begun screaming as a mechanized voice made itself heard.

_"Attention, Lockdown overridden by the local operator. All transports are now unsecured; repeat, all transports are unsecured. All personnel are to clear the launching lane and proceed to stations."_

"Got it, Ghost!" Harper called.

The whole room trembled for a moment and the huge loading doors started to open. The kinetic barrier came to life over the opening to prevent the void of space from sucking out the compartment's atmosphere.

"Leave these two to me! You focus on the rest!" the Custodian told him.

"Understood!" the wizard activated the Disillusionment. He went out of his hideout to see that Vakarian, too, was no longer in sight.

And so the two of them begun a short game of hide-and-seek. Harry stalked the hangar, looking for any signs of the High Commander, while working to take out the remaining soldiers. The legionnaires had really dug in deep now, keeping themselves far apart and being much more cautious about exposing themselves. Two times he tried to quickly break his invisibility to down a soldier, and _both_ times Vakarian seemed to appear at just the right position to stop him. He even got another glancing round to his armor for his efforts. So he changed his approach, and started hunting the soldiers and taking them out with his battle rod, instead. It was slow going, as he needed to get close to each target. If they had been clustered closer together, Harry could have taken then all with just one strike. He also really wished that the he had another non-lethal array on his pistol besides the Stunning Charm. It would have made neutralizing Vakarian a much simpler affair. Still, he managed to get three legionnaires, so that was only five left to go.

"I'm all done, Ghost!" Harper told him. "Need some help?"

"Sure!"

Time to change this game. Harry stepped into the open and traded his invisibility for his shield. Less than a second later, predictably, came the strike from Vakarian; and she was very close, this time. The other soldiers joined in.

Vakarian's Cloak needed a few seconds to recharge after it was interrupted. Being just as fast and accurate with a gun as she was, the wizard blasted her cover with a shot, rolling to the side to avoid the rest of the gunfire. As the woman jumped for another protection, Harry threw _Reductos _at the covers of her people, alternating between them and Vakarian. He kept her running and forced each of the others to expose themselves, nailing them with Stunners soon after.

But when Harry went for the last one he could see, the taller soldier that had entered with the Commander, he found that the man was perfectly content to remain composed while things disintegrated around him. He could see this guy was a whole notch above the other soldiers. Much like Vakarian herself.

So perhaps it was a good thing that the bloke's body suddenly seized in painful convulsions, as Harper got him from behind with his omnitool. He dropped down, twitching.

"Adrien!" the High Commander screamed. She took a blind shot that passed only inches from the invisible Custodian. Unfortunately for her, that second of distraction was all that Harry needed. Using the lowest power level he could, the wizard shot the sniper rifle in her hands with the _Reducto _array. The red weapon broke apart with a white flash, and Vakarian yelped.

"Harper, I have this! Shuttle!"

"Roger."

Harry ran towards the High Commander. She threw one of her tech mines at him and activated her Cloak again, but he was having none of that. Not now that the woman was truly out in the open for the first time and close enough for this. He shot the mine out of the air. Then he channeled a huge amount of power into his battle rod, to the point where it begun to throw actual sparks, and then slammed the implement into the ground. Streaks of blue light flashed around the point where crystal met steel and he felt the wave of magical energy expand to an almost five meter radius around him, the Body-Freezing Charm paralyzing anything that was in contact with the floor.

Including his invisible adversary.

A little while later, her cloak deactivated and he was not at all surprised to see that she had already been almost out of range, a SMG in hand and pointed at him. A second longer and he would most likely have missed her. And got some bullets to the face, to boot.

He sighed, feeling the adrenaline cursing through him still. The sound of a transport being powered on made him look and see that Harper was already at work. He gazed all around at the huge mess that had once been the hangar. At all the unconscious soldiers. Then, he realized something. There had been twenty-six legionnaires in the room to begin with, and the Commander came in with the Adrien bloke. He had taken down twenty-two soldiers in the fight, Vakarian included, and Harper took care of five others.

So, where was the 28th guy?

* * *

"Ghost, get in here!"

As Jack started the turian transport and disengaged the docking clamps, he saw the wizard standing in front of Vakarian's frozen form and had to shake his head. He might have taken care of five targets and helped a little at the end, but the mysterious man had still just taken on almost the entire platoon by himself. And he was ready to bet his favorite crate of bourbon back home that the man had refrained from using his more destructive resources.

He was also properly impressed with the man's shooting. He thought Eva was unsurpassed when it came to gun skills, but Mr. Wizard could easily give his teammate a run for her money.

"Remember all I said, High Commander." Jack heard him speak. He reloaded his eldritch gun and was scanning the area. "I will find a way to contact you again. And if you send a signal to the colony, we will pick it up."

He begun to make his way to the transport. Jack got the armed shuttle floating and…

…and then he saw another transport at the other side suddenly break free from its bay and float into the runway, just as the wizard was crossing it.

The operative's heart stopped. He screamed. "GHOST! LOOK OUT!"

The shuttle had its frontal weapons, twin missile pods, locked on the exposed man. The wizard realized the incredible danger he was in, most likely had heard it even before the operative called, but Jack knew it was too late for him to get out of the way.

The vehicle opened fire with both pods. Two blue streaks crossed the short distance between man and machine, just as he saw the wizard raise his arms in front of his face and his black armor lit up in glowing magic runes, brighter than any other time Jack had seen so far. The missiles exploded point-blank against the suddenly very fragile looking man, with a 'BOOM' that crashed over the walls of the whole hangar like a tidal wave.

But Jack had not stopped to look. He got his own shuttle out of its bay and just rammed the other transport with all the speed he could produce at this short distance. The impact made the enemy shuttle crash against the side of the hangar's loading doors. Both transports were still perfectly operational, but Jack had the upper-hand. He put some distance between them and let loose his own missile pods on the enemy's engine section. One, two, three, six rockets slammed into the craft until its stern exploded and it crashed back to the floor. It lost all power.

The mechanized voice of the ship's computer was heard again. _"Attention, shuttle compartment compromised. Critical structural damage detected on the forward section. Risk of decompression. Initiating emergency containment procedure."_ Suddenly, blue lines shone on the hangar's walls at both sides, and a new kinetic barrier sprung to life right in the middle of it. It separated the last third of the room nearest the exit to space, where they were at the moment, from the rest.

Keeping a close eye on the vehicle to see if someone would step out of it, Jack turned to look at where the wizard had just been rocketed. He prayed to gods he never had believed in that a miracle had come to pass.

And it had.

Kneeling in the same place where he had been hit by the high-powered explosives, was the wizard. He had one hand on the ground and seemed to be taking deep breaths. A few crates near him were shattered and on fire, the floor at the point of impact was charred black and broken, and the man's entire suit was smoking softly.

"That was… Mr. Wizard, are you alive in there?!"

It took a second for the man to respond, and his voice was shaky and raspy when it came. "J-just… f-fine." he took a deep breath. His voice came stronger, and he slowly got back to his feet. "I'm good, Harper. My bones feel like jelly and I think I might have burned out a part of my shield array, but I'm good." then Jack saw the man turn his head to the side and start to run a second later. He slid to his knees in what the operative now recognized was the fallen turian High Commander. She must have been hit by one of the flying debris from when Jack rammed the other shuttle. "Crap! Vakarian is out! There's a crack in her helmet!"

"You can't help her now! We really need to go!"

"I know!" the man half-shouted. "Let me just…"

A flicker of light at his peripheral vision caught Jack's attention. He turned to look at what it was and was met with the sight of the original kinetic barrier that covered the open doors. It was the only thing that separated the pressurized hangar from the vacuum of outer space, and it was flickering like a lamp that was about to die. A part of his mind told him that the impact of the enemy shuttle against the side of the doors, or his own follow-up attack, must have damaged the shield's generators.

For the second time in so many minutes, the operative felt his heart stop. And for the second time he screamed. "GHOST! THE SHIELDS!"

He saw the man look at the dying environmental barrier, curse something in a language that Jack had never heard before, and throw himself over Vakarian's body. Just as the blue Mass Effect field went out completely and both human and turian were violently sucked into the void of space. Along with all the air in the sectioned-off part of the hangar and many other things.

Jack wasted no time. He accelerated his stolen transport out of the turian cruiser, desperately hoping to locate his wayward companion in the middle of all that emptiness. A task made difficult because the spaceship's radar was detecting multiple man-sized objects and he could not tell which one was the wizard.

He connected his radio to the shuttle's comms and sent out a broadcast. "Ghost! Talk to me!"

"I'm here!" the answer came swiftly enough. Of course, the wizard's words did not help with shit, but his radio signal allowed Jack to identify him in the middle of all the debris that had been thrown out of the cruiser. "You need to hurry, Jack! I've managed to hold on to Vakarian, but her helmet is leaking! She's losing oxygen!"

"I'm on my way! Don't go anywhere!"

"Very funny!"

The shuttle's radio came to life. He detected a frigate coming their way. "Attention, outward transport. Cease all movement and power down your weapons, or we will open fire!"

"CIC, belay that order!" came another voice. Well, it seems he was close enough to the cruiser that he was still picking up the signal from the internal network he had hacked into. "This is Lieutenant Adrien Victus! Tell all ships in this area that the High Commander and other legionnaires are floating around out there! She might be with one of the humans! Until this is confirmed, do not attack that transport! Get our own people out immediately!"

A moment of incredulity, before the answer came. "Understood, Lieutenant Victus."

"Well, well, Mr. Wizard. Some luck, at last."

"Thank Merlin for that. I can see you, Harper."

"I see you too. So, what will we do with the High Commander?"

The wizard sighed. Jack could understand all the frustration contained in that single sound. Things had really not gone as expected today.

"What choice, Jack? Guess she's coming with us."

* * *

It was tight. Like really, really tight. Astrid was not kidding when she said traversing the service pipe would be a 'very unpleasant, very wet experience'. It was less crawling than it was squirming around like a worm, even for a woman as slender as Avani. A thin coat of lime covering the metal walls was an actual blessing, as it allowed her to slide more easily. But the gun she had pilfered from the colonial officer pressed painfully against her ribs, and the smell was horrible. The only light came from the datapad's screen. Thankfully, it was only a twenty meters long shaft.

"It's over."

The somber voice of Harry's mysterious friend startled her. "What?" she whispered. Even if no sound could escape the confined space, it still seemed appropriate.

"The Marines have been defeated." she clarified. "You'll need to hurry, and be more careful than ever, Ms. Bhatia. I will try to distract the turians as best I can, but I can't give you any promises."

Avani suppressed the shiver that came over her. Astrid had explained, in _excruciating_ detail, some of the mind-boggling abilities these particular turian soldiers possessed. These 'biotics' seemed like magic to her, even if her guide explained it was all trained applications of Mass Effect fields. That living beings could directly manipulate dark energy like that would have absolutely fascinated Avani, if that power had not just been used to take dozens of human lives and endanger her daughter.

Of course, she supposedly had a teleportation device hanging from her neck right now, so perhaps she was ahead of the turians on the 'space magic' department.

"I will be fast."

"That would be nice."

"Is the exit hatch unlocked?"

"Actually, the other hatch is completely broken, it doesn't close. You should know that is the only reason why I don't just leave you trapped inside there until Harry comes back."

_"Well, thank the gods for that."_

"I will only communicate with you by images from now on." the hacker continued.

"Got it."

Five more slow and painful meters after that, Avani reached the hatch. With some contortions that she thought were beyond her ever since she left her teenage years, she got out of the pipe and dropped to the floor below. She was inside the chamber, near the big water extractor and behind the supply depot that hid her almost completely from view. She quickly went to press herself against the back of the building, moving as quietly as a mouse, or so she hoped.

She could see the high rear window Astrid had told her about. A simple opening in the wall with no panels, almost too far from the ground to jump through. Before going there, she risked a peek from the corner of the depot…

…and immediately saw ruined tents, gunfire-marked walls, and over five tall aliens in dark armor rummaging through corpses clad in Alliance blue. She retreated.

These were the beings Harry had been fighting? They looked just… _deadly_. The softly blinking screen of her datapad caught her attention.

_"They die just as well as any human."_ where the words displayed there.

_"What now?" _she wrote on the screen. Crouched against the cold wall, Avani tried to keep her breathing silent. Yet a small and scared part of her mind told her the aliens could hear every heartbeat.

_"There's a single soldier inside guarding the hostages, I will try to draw her attention. When she gets out, I will lock the room's door. That won't stop her for long if she really wants to get back, though. You will need to be fast."_

_"Understood."_

_ "Wait for my signal."_ then the screen started to display images from inside the depot. It surprised Avani, though it really shouldn't when she thought about it.

The first thing she saw was the tall turian female, standing inside a storage room with a rifle in her three-fingered hands. The next thing she saw was a group of five people sitting with their hands and feet bound on the floor.

And Lucretia! Her breath hitched, painful relief welling up in her heart until she felt like crying. She appeared unharmed, just like Avani had been told, and seemed to be glaring up a storm at her watcher.

Her foolish, brave girl.

Avani wrenched her eyes from her daughter's image when she heard a muffled voice coming from inside the building. She saw as the alien woman jerked slightly in surprise, twisting her body to look outside the room while still keeping an eye on the hostages. She saw her mouth moving.

_"I'm using one of their discarded radios to pretend her superior is calling for her. You won't have much time, lady. Get in there and make sure your daughter is holding the necklace, then say the words."_

Avani had no time to respond. The turian went outside the room.

"_Go!"_

Avani grabbed the ledge and jumped inside. Screams of surprise greeted her, she saw Lucretia's eyes widen in incredulous shock, and the sliding door to the room slammed closed. She heard heavy footsteps outside and an incomprehensible, flanging voice speaking.

The people were all bound with some black, thread-like ropes. Astrid had told her before that the material was created with an omnitool, using some universal material called, appropriately enough, omnigel. There was no lock or knot to open, the ropes were uniformly woven and meant to be broken.

"Mother!" Lucretia was the first to speak, she at least had the sense to speak quietly, even if it was useless now. The others were not so levelheaded.

"Help us!"

"Please!"

"There is no time!" she told them. She took out her necklace and thrust a piece of the chain into her daughter's hands. She would make her speak the password after everyone was grabbing it. She had every intention to try and get back to her son. Despite her shocked confusion, Lucretia still took hold of the chain. "All of you, grab this!"

"Are you crazy?!" screamed a terrified young man. "Cut these things, before they come back!"

"Grab the chain, it's the only way to set you free!"

Two others did it, but the rest were reluctant, screaming at her to break their bonds. There was banging on the door, a commotion could be heard from outside the depot, and Astrid spoke again through the datapad. "Just say the words, damnit!"

"I can't leave these people!" Avani screamed back. "Hold the fucking chain!" she tried to force the chain on the nearest one's hand.

"_Of course _you can't! You and Harry should open a frecking club…"

*CRACK*

Avani turned. The room's door was yanked from its sliding paths, enveloped in blue light. On the threshold, body also burning in the same ethereal fire was the alien. She was a head taller than Avani and covered in brown plates. Her predatory green eyes seared straight into the mother's. She took a step inside and raised her glowing fist…

"NO!" the mother screamed. She stood next to her daughter, all others forgotten, and opened her arms. But only slightly.

The alien paused. She seemed to take in Avani's attire; her supplicant face, her empty hands, her protective stance. Maybe she had even noted just how alike the mother was to the girl on the floor behind her. Her eyes seemed to soften a little. She took a quick glance at the window as her arm lowered just a fraction.

It was all Avani needed. Fast as lightning, just like her father had taught her all those years ago, she drew the concealed pistol and started shooting at the turian's head. The first two shots met some sort of shield, but Avani did not stop firing. The alien jumped back and threw a bright blue energy sphere that the mother dodged by millimeters, only hearing the sound of groaning metal and the frightened screams behind her. Her aim stayed true, and her third bullet broke the barrier and shattered one of the alien's mouth appendages. The fourth bullet went into the left eye and out of the back of her head, splattering blood, blue blood, into the wall behind. Her arms dropped, the dark energy halo snuffed out of existence, and the woman's body fell knees first to the floor.

* * *

The female's skin was soft, the light-golden color of a _Lioth'_s leaf. She had a short covering of dark fur over her head. The curved lines of her face were frozen in a twist of pain.

Saren took out one of his gauntlets and gently closed the lifeless eyes of the human sniper, the one that had almost downed him. This woman had shown impressive skill and valor in her last moment, and the lieutenant would remember her. He got up when Krelian approached him.

"So?" he asked, still looking contemplatively at the fallen human.

"I'm sorry, little brother. We saw the bodies of Kerrick and Sahlia laid down just inside the human barracks."

After wiping out the rest of the human soldiers, a relatively simple task when attacking them from two flanks, Saren had ordered Krelian and Asha to try and ascertain their fellow legionnaire's condition. The report confirmed his fears.

"Understood." he said, simply. He finally raised his head, looking around at the carnage. All the humans were dead, and the turians were the only ones in the cave now, aside from their prisoners back at the depot. As far as wounds went, they had gotten out relatively well, if you considered the numbers they had been up against. Asha got a glancing round to the left temple that gouged her plate (just a scar to match Shiala's, she said), and a grenade had almost taken Nerik out. He was far away enough that the blast only gave him a mild concussion, but some fragments penetrated his armor and he had some worrying lacerations. He would live, but he was out of any fights for the near future.

They all had to admit, though; the humans never broke ranks and fought to the end. A normal salarian squad would have broken apart being flanked like that, and even an asari huntress pack would have faltered. Saren wondered what the elite human units could do. His legionnaires were now scavenging whatever digital device they could from the corpses. Perhaps not surprisingly, every weapon they picked up was just as dead as their own, but they would still take some with them for analysis. Meera was alone with the civilians.

"What now, Saren?" his brother asked.

The lieutenant considered their options. They could just retreat back up the tunnel they came from. Or, they could still try to salvage something from this mess by storming up those barracks and getting whatever data storage device they could. He already knew his decision.

"Gather everyone, we will assault the barracks. Meera and Nerik are too hurt, they will need to stay in the tunnel. But I'm not leaving this place empty-handed and I will not allow Kerrick and Sahlia to have died in vain."

Krelian nodded. "And the human civilians?"

"Put them to sleep and leave them. We can't afford to carry dead weight around."

"Understood. Might I recommend…"

"Saren!" came the muffled scream.

Saren turned around sharply to look at the depot. His eyes met the sight of his elder sister standing near the door, gesturing frantically at him to come to her. She had one of their discarded helmets clutched on a hand that she threw back to the ground, before turning around and going deeper inside.

"Something's happening with the civilians!" the lieutenant screamed. He was already running. "Asha, Krelian, stand guard! The rest of you, with me…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion, and then another. Between the turians and the depot, two grenades on the fallen human soldiers had just detonated. All the legionnaires instinctively summoned their Barriers and threw themselves to the ground.

"Void!" Krelian cried besides him.

"Stay away from the corpses!" Saren ordered. "Is anyone hurt?!"

He received negative answers from all. He was considering his options when a loud tearing sound came from inside the depot. Saren jumped to his feet. When the ensuing silence was interrupted by the scream of gunshots, he threw all caution aside and just Charged over the fallen humans.

In a second he was next to the entrance, running inside. In time to see Meera's body crashing to the floor just outside the prisoner's room, the left side of her face a mess of shattered plates and blood. Her one intact eye stared emptily at him.

Saren was aware of a distant buzzing in the back of his mind. He ignored the corpse of his sister…

_"Strong, patient, kind Meera. She wanted to spare these people."_

…and made sure his Barrier was in full strength before he went into the room. Inside he found a female human pointing a pistol at the door. She turned to him with the speed and steadiness of any seasoned soldier and fired.

Coolly, Saren stepped aside from the line of fire and in two long steps he was in front of the woman. His left hand was still gloveless, and he used the sharp talons now exposed to slash at the human's shoulder while he grabbed her wrist so hard there was the sound of snapping bones. The gun fell to the floor. He felt the flimsy fabric of her vest give away along with the flesh beneath, and her scream was accompanied by the feeling of warm liquid on his fingers.

He did not allow her to jump back or fall. He grabbed her thin, fragile neck in a choking grip. His eyes flickered for just a moment to the long and bleeding gash he had left on her chest, before he kicked the fallen pistol out of the room. The other humans cried alien words he had no use for, and he decided they would all just die.

He raised a glowing fist while he looked deeply into this alien's eyes. They were dark and defiant, even while the strength in her body left her. He wished he could take his time.

A body impacted with his mid-section. Another human female, the one he had taken notice of before, had just threw herself shoulder-first into him from the ground, rage ripping from her throat. He had to take two steps back to keep from losing his balance. His bloodied grip on the woman's neck slipped.

_"Very strong for such a small thing."_ his brain told him.

He threw the smaller female into the older one, and both went to the ground. He sneered at them.

"Pathetic."

He prepared a Warp. As he expected, the rest of the humans just cringed back against the wall, leaving the females to their fate. Truly a race full of cowards.

Suddenly, he saw the older female grab some sort of fine-linked chain, with a yellow ornament at the end, which the younger one clutched in her hands. Saren threw his Warp at the same time he heard the female scream two pained words he did not understand. The two humans vanished, and his warp hit only the bare floor.

Saren was sure his astonishment was the same emotion mirrored on the other humans' faces. His brain struggled to understand what just happened. The females did not fade away, as if being Cloaked. They were… _sucked _up by some freakish vortex that distorted the very space around them!

"Saren!" came Krelian's scream from outside. "What… Spirits! Meera!"

The buzzing in Saren's ears got stronger. A part of him was absolutely perplexed by what he had just witnessed. The larger part of him, though, was burning with the knowledge that Meera's killer had _just_ _escaped him._

"Kabalim!" Krelian screamed again. "What happened here?!"

Before Saren could answer, there was a loud *crack* from outside the depot, and his legionnaires shouted. Saren barreled past Krelian, he no longer cared about the alien cowards left in the room, and got outside.

He was met with the vision of another human, entirely clad in strange black armor, holding a long and thin piece of wood in one hand. Just standing there, in the middle of the cave. And he knew instantly that this was the same human that had talked with his brother days before. The lieutenant did not hesitate, he just Charged. The world slowed to a crawl around him during his biotic dash, like it always did, and it allowed Saren to see as the human gave a wave of the stick in his direction.

It was like being hit by a speeding aircar. Saren had never felt such a great force colliding against his entire body. The Mass Effect field around him shattered, and where before he had been moving forward, now he was flying backwards. His mind barely registered as he crashed against a hard surface.

It was a struggle to keep himself conscious. Every single part of his body hurt. Each breath sent ripples of pain all over his chest, and his head felt like it was going to split open at any moment. He was lucid enough to understand that he had probably cracked at least a few bones, including his skull. He hoped none of his organs had been punctured. Large spots of black filled his vision, and he could hear many screams and shouts as if coming from a great distance. It would be so easy to let the darkness take him. But he had never went down without a fight, and he would not do so now. Struggling with all his will, Saren was able to push the encroaching black-out away.

What seemed like an eternity had passed before he was able to move his head and look around. He was on the ground near the depot. A small indent on the wall above told him that was where he had hit his back before. Painfully (he had definitely broken a few things) he was able to put himself into a sitting position, using the wall to support himself. His top-grade armor was cracked in many places. But his sorry state almost left his mind because of what he saw around him.

All eight of his brothers and sisters were suspended in the air. Not moving uncontrollably like in a biotic Lift, but just floating in the same position. And he saw they were also frozen, as no limbs moved anywhere. It was like they were all in a Stasis, too. The human was approaching him now. Saren noted that the wooden stick in his hand shot angry red sparks from time to time.

"Was it worth it?" the alien asked, in that perfect turian voice that he _had no right _of using. There was a cold fury in his harmonics, but Saren was not impressed. The being gestured to his paralyzed legionnaires and all the dead humans around them. "All this chaos. Some of your own soldiers gone. And what did it got you?"

Saren's scoff turned into pain-racked coughs. This human was _surely _not going to give him a moral speech, right? What were they, children?

Even still, he decided to answer. He had to spit a wad of blue blood first, though. "This… this was just a mission, human."

He expected the alien to spout more pacifistic nonsense, but he just shook his head. "No." the human kneeled next to Saren and took his left arm in an iron grip. The lieutenant was too weak to do anything about it. The alien brought the hand up so they both could look at it. His talons were still coated by the bright red blood of the human female. The amber glass of the human's visor seemed to glow. "This was a mistake."

He watched as the tip of the human's wooden stick came to press upon his forehead, green smoke coming out. And if he thought he was in pain before, it was _nothing_ compared to the indescribable agony that now burned inside his veins. This time, Saren could not win the fight against the darkness.

* * *

"Wow! Did you just… disintegrate his biotic implants?" Astrid sounded properly impressed. "Nice!"

Harry did not share in her feeling. He only looked at the unconscious form of the silver-plated turian in disgust. There was probably some extensive internal damage from his impact against the building's wall, but the wizard honestly could not care all that much at the moment. He threw a Body-Freezing Charm at the man that would hopefully slow down his wounds long enough for him to receive some medical attention. Then he Obliviated the last hours of the man's memories.

He quickly went around doing the same thing to every one of the other frozen soldiers. Then he let them fall back to the ground, unconscious. He had no interest in more prisoners; he would let the Alliance keep these ones.

His rage at the man that had killed Elliot Hughes and almost killed the Bhatia women was burning out, and now he was left feeling a little numb. His shoulder hurt something fierce, his mouth still tasted of blood, his Magic felt stretched, and he just felt tired. So very, very tired of that wretched day.

"How is Ms. Bhatia?"

"I've told you, Harry; Action Lady is going to be fine. I'm instructing the Lucretia chick in how to use the potions. She's already got a Blood-Replenisher in her mother and she's applying the Essence of Dittany right now. She probably won't even have a scar."

He sighed in relief. At least not _everything _had gone wrong.

"And besides, you have more important things to worry about."

Indeed. With a last look around, shaking his head at all the dead Marines, Harry went invisible and Apparated to the top of Shelter 05. The morning sun was rising and the wind brought the smell of earth and smoke. He could see the streaks of the shuttles flying all around, the gunmetal grey transports still circling around the invisible entrance to the caves almost one kilometer from where he stood.

"Those troops you told me about are still waiting to deploy?" he asked.

"Yeah. Arterius wants the entrance confirmed and the area cleaned before landing anyone. And Williams will not respond until that happens."

"All right. Let's see if we can still salvage this situation. Contact the general's cruiser."

"Sending a hail now."

Half a minute passed before he got an answer. Harry took out the golden control sphere of the Resonance Orbs. He really hoped there would be no reason to use it, but he had not been making empty threats when he told Arterius that he could destroy any ship the general sent down to Shanxi.

"You are on, Harry."

And there was the cold voice of Desolas Arterius, absolutely dripping with his customary politeness. Did his soldiers really fall for that? "Ah, my friend from the Ghosts of Shanxi. I was wondering if we would be speaking again."

Harry was in no mood to humor the man. "General Arterius, I believe we had an accord?"

"Did I gave you that idea?" and _damn _if he did not sound genuinely regretful. "I am terribly sorry for that, but you must realize that we still have a task to fulfill here. I have sent word of your… proposal to Palaven, but until the Hierarchy reaches a decision, I must abide by my original orders."

Harry doubted that very much. But it seemed word had not yet reached Arterius about the mess with Vakarian's cruiser, which was good. "Well, your last push failed, General. The Cabal you sent down has been neutralized. Your soldiers are under Alliance custody now."

"Indeed?" another note of regret. "They are brave men and women. I hope they did not cause too much bother to you."

"For real?" Astrid exclaimed.

"But now we find ourselves in another situation, do we not? I must say, your facility is in a very vulnerable position right there, outside the protection of your Shroud. You will understand when I tell you that I cannot allow such a chance to pass us by."

"That's an entirely civilian structure, General. Innocent people trying to stay out of the way. I believe your regulations forbid an attack on such a target?"

He could hear the faint triumph in the man's voice. "Not an _entirely _civilian area, no, according to my legionnaires' reports. We will find out soon enough, yes?"

Harry gritted his teeth. "You are looking for an entrance, but there is none to be found, General. Your drone was simply a warning shot. Recall your shuttles or we will be forced to attack them."

There was silence for almost one minute. "It truly seems like there is nothing for us there." another, brief pause. "But just to make sure…"

Astrid screamed. "Harry, all the transports are clearing the hell away from the entrance!"

There was a blinding flash, followed by a mighty thunderclap. Harry felt the very air tremble around him and his bones shake beneath his flesh. All in the blink of an eye. It took much longer for the wind to clear the cloud of red dust over the entrance to Shelter 05, to reveal the bright dome of silvery light that shone around it. One side was filled with spidery lines like a cracked glass. And near it, gouging the red surface of the Plateau, were dozens of long fissures. Giant claw marks on the planet's floor.

A ship-grade Mass Accelerator round had just impacted against the Shield Ward and scarred the earth after it was broken down and deflected. The slashes on the Shield's surface begun to vanish, but not quickly enough.

"It was the frigate, Harry!" his companion told him, voice frantic. "That ward won't take much more before it breaks! There are almost thirty Marines inside the first chamber."

"Can you…"

"That ship is out of my range, Harry. Even if I focus entirely on it." she interrupted his question.

Time stopped for Harry. There should be over seventy souls inside that frigate, but he knew what had to be done.

"Is it still in range of the Orbs?"

"…yes."

Harry begun turning the control sphere's sliding sections to form the appropriate pattern. "Harper!" he contacted the Custodian. "Talk to Williams, I don't care how! Tell him every person inside that cave must move into the deepest chamber possible! I don't know what will be the answer to this, but I will make a thousand Portkeys if I have to!"

The man did not even stop to question. "Understood." he simply said.

"Well, well." Arterius was… politely smug. "You _are _hiding something, after all. Very interesting barrier you have over there, my friend. So incredibly powerful for its size. Another piece of your 'ancient science'?"

The sphere was set. Harry took out his holly wand.

"I wonder how much it can withstand. I understand your civilians, and my legionnaires, are safely ensconced deeper underground. So this should not be any problem."

Another flash, another stroke of thunder. The other side of the Shield was cracked, too, and there were more gashes upon the earth. The damage on the first side was only half-way healed.

Harry put his wand to the sphere. There was a time, before the Sundering, when Earth's Living Magic reacted much poorly to any form of electronic device. Wizards had long realized that and someone decided to copy that effect with a spell, the same one Harry had used a lot some days ago. He was powerful enough to disable turian transports entirely with it.

The creators of the Resonance Orbs incorporated the same magic within their craft. Only hundreds of times more powerful than any lone spellcaster could ever accomplish.

"_Negatio Machina" _the wizard whispered. The many symbols etched on the golden sphere lit up. Another round hit the Shield Ward, and it was now entirely cracked. It would take perhaps two more shots.

By design, there was no blue flash of light, unlike with the wand-version of the spell. Only Harry felt as the power concentrated beneath the purple dome of the Shroud and then shot into the morning sky as a lance of magic. The frigate's next round never came.

Astrid's voice was somber. In respect to him, if nothing else. "Hit."

Soon, there was a burning streak in the heavens, as the powerless ship could no longer deny gravity and begun its final, deadly journey through Shanxi's upper atmosphere. For a time Harry watched it fall, before once again speaking on the channel with Arterius' cruiser. His voice was tired.

"You were warned, General. Take the rest of your ships out of here, or they will suffer the same fate. You have ten seconds."

There was no answer. Harry readied the control sphere again. But after eight seconds…

"All the shuttles are retreating, Harry." his companion called. "And all three cruisers are pulling to an even higher orbit than before."

The wizard took a deep breath. "Good."

"Mr. Wizard." Harper called. His voice was firm. "They left us no choice. Those Marines are alive because of you. I've talked with Williams, everyone is retreating deeper into the shelter."

"I will be fine, Jack, really. Let's just hope they don't answer in the worst way possible. You got down safe?"

"Yes. I'm making my way to the clearing we left from. Ben and Eva are there already."

"And Vakarian?"

"She is breathing fine. I think she only has some mild concussion."

He could see little pieces being torn out of the doomed frigate as it spiraled down. It was breaking the distant clouds, now.

"Girl, how are things in the shelter?"

"No one that would benefit from your help, if that's what you're asking. The wounded will do fine with medigel. And the Bhatia kid is safe and putting up this sickeningly cute brave front."

Ahh, yes. Harry would need to pick up Sam before going to see Avani and Letia.

"Astrid, keep a close eye on those cruisers. Send me the coordinates of the frigate's crash site. Harper, I will be with you as soon as I can."

"Got it."

"Understood."

A more cynical part of Harry pointed out how ironic it was that he went to such great lengths not to kill anyone up in Vakarian's cruiser, and now he did this. But he shook his head and banished the thoughts. He had known this could happen from the beginning, and had been prepared for it. Still, he was going to check if there would be anyone alive in that wreckage, even if the chances of such were ludicrous.

It was the least he could do.

* * *

Author Notes:

And another one. Exactly one month, as I feared. Hopefully in three weeks time I will have a break from University and will be able to return to at least a bi-weekly update period. Thank you for all the reviews to the last chapter. Don't know how to feel about this one; the length of these chapters is getting way out of hand, I think. Still, give me your thoughts.

Remember to log in for your reviews, or send them via PM, or I won't be able to answer any questions you might have.

For those who don't know, the Kármán line is the widely (but not universally) accepted boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space. It is an arbitrary definition, and stands at 100 kilometers (or around 62 miles) above sea level. For comparison's sake, the International Space Station orbits at around 400km (250 miles). It varies.

Anyway, in the next chapter: a wizard comes clean (somewhat). We talk a little about Living Magics, Sunderings, Custodians, Sylphids, and the past.

Also, zombies.

Until then,

Fish


	10. Chapter 09: Magic

Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

*WARNING: Major info dump ahead!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**.**

**Magic**

**.**

**.**

**.**

There was only a faint 'woosh' of moving air, before the space rippled and five figures were deposited in the middle of Harry Potter's arcane lab inside The Refuge; his hideout in the mountain south of Central Settlement. The wizard himself landed lightly on his feet, and then proceeded to lay down the sleeping form of High Commander Vakarian gently on the ground. Jack Harper managed to stay on one knee, while Eva Coré and Ben Hislop ended up in a heap on the floor.

The Custodian slowly stood back up. "Well, that was… interesting, sure. Is it always like this?"

"Oh, no. Sometimes, it can actually get unpleasant."

"Right."

"What… the… hell… was… that?!" and that was the closest thing to completely freaked out that Harry had saw the stoic Ms. Coré yet. She had jumped to her feet and even had her gun in hand, though it was thankfully not pointing at anything. Hislop just sat on the floor and looked around the new environment, eyes wide as saucers.

"Oh put the gun away, Ms. Coré. You just had your first teleportation, nothing to make such a fuss about." Harry was probably enjoying this more than he should. Just a bit.

"My first what?!" she spit out.

"Easy, Eva." Harper put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I told you it was all right. Ghost speaks the truth. Hold off on the questions for a while, we will explain everything. Promise."

Still trembling a little, she looked from the Custodian to the wizard, before putting the gun away. "You better, Jack."

The man nodded, then turned to his other companion. "Up, Ben. And stop staring like that or your eyes are going to fall off."

"Holy shit!" the burly young man finally found his voice. "Where are we? Is this a cave? And are those _cauldrons_?!" he pointed to the row of golden containers, all empty at the moment.

The wizard had to laugh at the operative's capacity to roll with the punches. He liked Hislop. "You are in my personal base of operations. I'm sorry about the rough ride, but this place has no physical entrances. That was the only way to bring you here."

"Sorry?! Are you kidding?! That was amazing! Can we do it again?" he said the last part eagerly, stars shining behind his eyes.

Coré sighed and pulled him up to his feet. "I swear… we could stumble into a herd of dinosaurs and you would be fine with it."

He looked at her as if she was mental. "Of course I would. Dinos are cool."

Harry shook his head, and once more thought about his decision. A decision that could either help him, or bring him a _lot_ of problems.

Most likely both.

After the transports had retreated from Shanxi's atmosphere, Harry quickly started Apparating around; giving the Alliance a discreet 'hand' in clearing the collapsed tunnels; capturing the last turian soldier on the planet (who was guarding three young fellas from Green 14 that, according to Astrid, were most likely the ones responsible for starting the entire mess); investigating the crash site of the doomed frigate (no survivors, as expected); and checking up on Sam (who was being taken good care of by the Baummans). And then he finally went to the meet Harper and his teammates, back on the clearing from where they had left.

The simple truth was that he had played the lone wolf card since he woke up in this future, Astrid and Eliza notwithstanding. He needed competent, _informed _help in this crisis. He needed sounding boards for his plans, more viewpoints besides that of his ship. And if he ever wanted to find a cure for Earth's Magic, the Custodians, at the very least, were a resource that he could ill afford to keep ignoring.

He took Harper aside and gave him the choice of letting his teammates hear the truth or not. But he warned that he would need to check if the information was secure with them, and that if he suspected it was not, he would need to make them forget it. The Custodian was not exactly happy, but understood the necessity and freely admitted that any protests he might have were only due to his personal attachments. He told Harry that Hislop and Coré would take the secret to their graves, if he asked.

And now here they were.

"All right, everyone. Settle down. Let me…"

He was interrupted by frantic knocking at the door that separated the Refuge's two large rooms. A young female voice called anxiously. "Harry?! Is that you?!"

The wizard took his wand and waved at the door. "Yes, Letia! It's me!" a clicking sound could be heard, and both Coré and Hislop looked at the piece of wood in puzzlement. The door opened to reveal the anxious and tired visage of Lucretia Bhatia. Her hair was messy, her blue eyes were a little red, and there was some dried blood on her chest and arms, though not her own. "HARRY!" she immediately screamed and made to enter the room, but stopped short when she looked at the four of them.

That's when the wizard remembered he was still wearing his mask. He quickly took it off, and ignored the stares of the special operatives at his unveiled face. In a second, the uncertain girl turned into a dark-haired missile that barreled into him, hugging his chest tightly. She ignored the other people in the room entirely, and just started babbling on his armor.

"Oh, Harry, it's so good to see you! I was so fucking worried! The aliens took us by surprise, the Marines didn't had a chance! Mom got hurt and _what the hell was that necklace_, Harry?! Astrid wouldn't tell us anything else, she just said this is your hideout, and to wait for you because you were cleaning up with the aliens and you are going to fucking tell me what this is all about right now, Mister!"

During her speech, she had gone from hugging him to pointing her finger accusingly at his face, her pale blue eyes flashing dangerously with that 'don't you dare disagree' look that only women could pull off. Harry suppressed the urge to snort, he did not think it would gain him any points here, and gently took her hand in his.

"I'm fine, Letia. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm just _perfect_. Your magical medicine, which tastes _horrible_ by the way, fixed me right up. Hell, it fixed _mom_! Her wounds just closed over! So don't change the damn subject!"

Now the wizard could not help a small laugh. She had no idea how right she was. "Don't worry; I am going to explain a great deal about what is going on and what I have been up to until now. Honestly it's… something I maybe should have done from the start." he let out a tired breath. "Just let me check on your mum first and get everyone comfortable. And speaking of that…" he gestured to the other three occupants of the room, who were looking at the pair with varying degrees of amusement and curiosity. "Lucretia Bhatia, let me introduce you to Jack Harper, Eva Coré and Ben Hislop. They are all professionals contracted by the Alliance, and they have been a great help to me lately."

The young woman greeted the operatives with some light, but visible, suspicion. She knew very well that the term 'professionals' was just an euphemism for 'mercenaries', and she had an understandable amount of distrust for such people. Still, the three were the picture of politeness, probably more than used to the reaction by now. No, there was no problem there.

The real problem came when Letia finally noticed the turian soldier lying on the floor behind Harry. Her eyes lit up in revulsion, her whole body stiffened and she let out an angry hiss, looking very much like a cornered cat. "What the hell is one of _them _doing here?!" her voice dripped with venom.

Harry took her by the shoulders and led her out of the room, giving a quick nod to Harper, who nodded back. The girl did not resist, but never took her hateful eyes from the still form of the High Commander, until the woman was out of sight behind the closed door. "Easy, Letia. That is a high-ranking turian officer that we… took as a prisoner. She was not a part of the squad that attacked the shelter. She is weaponless, bound and sedated. She won't be any trouble." they were in the 'living area now'. On one of the beds lined up against the wall, Harry could see the sleeping Avani Bhatia, looking very much healed from her wounds despite the bloodied clothes draped on a chair. Letia had likely been sleeping too, before their voices woke her up. It _had _been pretty late already when the attack begun.

"And what are you going to do with that… creature?" she asked him. She talked lower now, mindful of her mother.

Harry sighed, running a hand over his face. He focused his tired eyes on Letia's angry ones. "What do you think I do with a captured soldier, Letia? I lock them up in a secure place, keep them safe, perhaps I get some intel, and then I wait until opportunities arise to decide on anything further." he saw no need to explain this particular turian's importance. It was not the matter here, anyway.

The girl looked at his eyes for a moment longer, many thoughts and emotions storming behind her gaze. When she spoke, it was through gritted teeth. "The aliens slaughtered the Marines, Harry. They blasted tents and put people in a rampage. They gunned down the officials at the depot when they had no weapons and had already surrendered." he could feel little trauma from the violence she had witnessed, but perhaps it was just buried beneath the smoldering anger she felt.

Harry made a point not to actively read the thoughts of people he cared about, though he could do little about his passive Legilimency, as it was not something that could just be turned off.

He nodded slowly. "They did. And I truly wish I was there to stop them. I wish the Marines were alive and the turians were the ones dead. Better yet, I wish this stupid fighting had not started in the first place, and nobody had to get hurt." he pressed hard on the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the headache he could feel coming. "But Letia, they being turians, aliens, has little to do with their actions. They were soldiers, and any Alliance squad in a similar situation might have done very much the same."

"You're taking their side?!" she almost screamed.

"I'm taking nobody's side, Letia. I'm simply pointing out that we are in a struggle between two military powers, and that it is hardly unusual for innocents to be caught in the middle. You _know _that. Like humanity as a whole, your first encounter with this new species has been in one of the worst ways possible, and I just... don't want you to fall into the trap of thinking every turian you see is a bloodthirsty monster. They are people, Letia, capable of good and bad things. Just like us. Whatever 05's attackers did, it would not make harming the defenseless woman on the other side of that door any less wrong."

She paced furiously in front of him, arms crossed and nails digging into her sleeves. "All right, so not _all_ aliens are murdering freaks. Great! And what about the _fucker_ that hurt my mom, Harry?!"

Harry closed his eyes for a moment, considering what to tell her. In the end, he decided that Lucretia deserved the whole truth. She was a strong young woman, and even if it would not help his argument any, it would be better to lay it all out in the open now. "Astrid told me the whole story with Ms. Bhatia." he began, speaking softly. "But I'm afraid that hurting Avani was not the greatest evil they committed against you, personally, Letia."

His somber tone stopped the young woman on her tracks. She looked at him with rising dread. "What do you mean?! Is it Samesh?!"

He was quick to answer that. "Sam is fine, Letia. As I'm sure Astrid told you. Please, take a seat." he pointed at a chair.

She did not move. "What do you _mean_, Harry?"

He sighed, but did not take his eyes away from hers. "It's Elliot. He was the first Marine to encounter the enemy squad. They ambushed him in the tunnels. He's… I'm sorry, Letia."

The girl went completely still for almost a minute, just staring at him. "E-Elliot's dead?"

"I'm sorry." he said again. Words rarely helped, when the pain was fresh. He knew that well enough.

For a long time she was silent. He was sure her nails would have cut into flesh, if not for her the fabric of her shirt. He was sure she would not have noticed if they did. When she spoke, her voice trembled. Sadness and fury coated it in equal measure. "What happened to them?"

"To the turians?"

She gave a violent nod.

"I arrived just a minute after you were gone. I subdued them."

She blinked. "Subdued…?" she asked slowly, disbelief in her voice.

He looked intently at her. "Their actions enraged me too, Letia. I did not know Elliot for long, but I know he was a good, honest young man. And their leader was lucky you and Avani were already gone by the time I got there. I still made my feelings very clear before I left him and his friends to be collected by the Marines."

"You let him live?!" she screamed, betrayal at the front of her mind. That was the very first time since they met that Harry saw negative feelings from the girl aimed at him.

He stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "I made _sure _that he will need to consider another career in the future, have no doubt. I daresay this will be the last war he will be at the frontlines of, _if _the Alliance releases him."

She shook off his hand and took a step back from him. "Oh, that's rich!" she laughed. But it was a cutting, derisive laugh. "Harry Evans, the gallant and merciful knight. Arriving _just_ a second too late to save the damsels. And how very fucking _noble _of you to…"

"That's enough, Lucretia!"

She turned startled, but still furious, eyes to her mother, who was now leaving the bed and walking towards them. Harry knew she had been awake from the moment it happened. She moved without any apparent discomfort, the potions had done their work.

"Mom!"

"I know you are angry, I know you are hurting." she spoke kindly. She took the younger woman by the arms. "But you can't blame Harry for what happened to us, and you certainly can't blame him for not taking a man's life when he didn't need to."

"That bastard killed Elliot!"

"And nothing will bring him back." she answered, sadly. "Perhaps, when that pain you're feeling right now lessens, you will see that. It's over, dear. We will mourn Elliot and all the other soldiers, but their killers are prisoners of the Alliance, now. You need to wash your hands of them."

For a few moments, it looked as if the girl wanted nothing more than to get out of her mother's grip. Out of the room, entirely. But then, that burning hatred in her eyes seemed to break, and she dived into the older woman's arms. "I liked Elliot, mom! I really did!" she cried. "I… it wasn't _love_, but… he had so many things to do, mom! He was so _proud _of being a Marine!"

"I know, dear." she squeezed her daughter tightly. Harry shifted in place, a little awkward. He had always felt welcome with the Bhatias, but this time he felt like an intruder. "It isn't right. It won't _be_ right. But give it time, dear. Give it time."

The wizard went to leave. He felt they needed some time, and was going to return to the operatives, but Avani was having none of that. "Harry, please stay. I need to thank you. I don't know what your necklace is; not to mention all these miraculous chemicals you have; but those things saved my life. I'm in your debt, my friend."

He just shook his head. "From what Astrid tells me, it seems the necklace ended up doing more harm than good." he said ruefully.

"That was my decision, Harry. My very stupid decision. I won't allow you to blame yourself for my idiocy."

He sighed. "Trust me, I have a nasty habit of guilt-tripping myself. So I make a conscious effort to curb that impulse." he spoke firmly, but did not have the heart to be harsh. "You deliberately put yourself in a very dangerous situation that was way over your head, Avani. And Astrid is very much _not_ happy about being blackmailed into helping you."

Letia turned her tear-streaked eyes to him, voice burning low with fury. "What, Harry? Is mom a murderer for defending herself now?"

The wizard looked calmly to her. "I don't fault Avani for defending herself, and you, Letia." he looked to the woman, who just waited for him to finish, accepting. "She didn't know what that woman would ultimately do, she didn't know how fast the Portkey worked; which is _my _fault, by the way; and she had to make a quick call in a deadly situation. But the point is that all of it happened as a consequence of bad decisions. And it could have ended much, much worse for the both of you."

He had not even finished speaking, when Letia made to wrench herself from Avani's arms to get into his face. But the mother held firm. "Stop it, Lucretia! He's right!"

"But…!"

"No 'buts', dear. I was frightened for you, and it got the best of me. Now you and Samesh are safe, and I can see clearly how stupid it was. I can tell myself all day that I didn't know if the aliens were going to release you or not, that they might have taken you as captives, or a million other dreadful things. It doesn't change the fact that I most likely put you in even more danger, stumbling my way into that depot." she looked at the wizard again. "I'm sorry, Harry."

He walked closer to the pair. Lucretia shifted subtly away from him, and that hurt a little, all right_._ He sighed, a hand coming up to scratch at his neck. "The attack should never have happened in the first place. I thought I had the Shelter secured. I thought I had covered all fronts. I was wrong."

"I think that habit of yours needs another checking out, Harry." she lowered her head. Her voice lost its earlier confidence. "I… had a nightmare about that woman. The one I shot. She… her blood was blue." she spoke almost too softly to hear. "That… that really surprised me. I don't know why… but it did."

"She might have killed us!" the girl exclaimed, indignant.

"Perhaps…" Avani let out a sigh and pressed her forehead against her daughter's. "There was certainly nothing else in my mind at the time. But now… there was just so much _blue_ on that wall, Harry."

He nodded slowly. "I know."

They were all silent for a time. Mother and daughter still embraced, taking comfort from each other. Harry looked at the cupboards around the table. He desperately needed a spot of tea. And to check on his shoulder; had to remember that.

But first things, first. "Look… this isn't the best moment. We all need some time to process all this. I have a hundred things to do, and you need to check up on Sam and… and go see Elliot." the young woman flinched and buried her head in her mother's shoulder. "But I don't know for how long things will remain quiet. Another attack could come at any moment, or something even worse can happen. Before we find ourselves neck-deep in turians again, we need to have a very long talk. I own both of you an explanation for all…" he gestured to the room around them. "…this. If you would listen."

Letia took some time to think, while she got her emotions under control. "Yeah, you fucking do." she decided. There was still a lot of resentment in her voice, but the venom seemed to have been drawn out. He would take what he could.

Avani was not so sure, even when she burned with curiosity. "Harry… my son…"

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He's fine, Avani. I planned on bringing him here initially, but all this… this room and what I need to tell… it's a very big secret; something that only a select few know about. Now, I love Sam; he's a smart and honest lad. But this… this is not the kind of thing I can entrust to an eleven-years-old."

"HA!" Astrid spoke for the first time in that little drama. Harry ignored her.

The mother nodded. "All right, Harry."

He looked at the table, and sighed. "We are going to need more chairs."

* * *

**_TOO LONG_**

The servant watched.

It watched as they walked about their dead vessel. Fragile creatures; so confident in their skin, their muscles, their bones. Things that could be so easily broken, torn, slashed.

It watched as they talked to one another. Individuals. Isolated within themselves; trapped in their own minds. Thinking that words, looks or touches could truly convey reason, intent and feeling.

It watched as they worked. Beings with no purpose; whose every action was fated to be transient, ephemeral, undone.

All they were, illusions. All they did, meaningless. Slaves of the universe. Lost Creatures.

**_TOO LONG_**

The Voice had ordered it to wait. To guard. To watch. And so it did. Here, inside this dead vessel, surrounded by the Lost. Lost that the Voice could not bring to the light; could not give true strength, true conscience, and true purpose. Because the False Savior needed to believe he was in control; needed to believe he was somehow greater than these creatures before it. And so, it waited.

**_TOO LONG_**

But the Voice would not wait much more. It could not. As powerful as it was, as great as it was, the Voice had its own purpose. Its own duty to fulfill for the Harvest. And it had to begin, with or without the False Savior's assistance.

"Here, Lieutenant Abrudas."

It watched as one of the Lost handed a filled container to the Most Devout of all the False Savior's followers inside this dead vessel. Some warm liquid; meant more to sooth her mind than to sustain her body. A deception.

"Thank you. Any news from the General?"

"None, Lieutenant. It seems things are on a standstill at the human colony."

*sigh* "Understood."

"What about… _it_, Lieutenant?"

Censure in her voice. "You don't need to talk about Specialist Aetius like that, Corporal. He isn't a monster. He is our biological destiny; thousands, perhaps millions of years of evolution, granted to him in an instant by the power of our ancestors."

"I know! I'm sorry. It's just that… he just _stands _there, you know? I don't think he has moved a muscle since we brought the artefact into this room."

"He hasn't. He hasn't eaten, drunk or slept in all that time, too. He is beyond petty necessities like that. He was ordered to watch over the Monolith, and he will do so until the universe stops expanding, if necessary. He's immortal, now. Time has no meaning to him."

It could sense awe from her. The other Lost felt awe, too. But it was tempered by revulsion for the servant's physical aspect. Vanity, another deception.

"Well, wish I had his patience, at least. We have been patrolling the edge of this system for over two weeks. Nothing but empty space. I hoped we could have found the human frigates which fled the battle. But it seems they have left the system altogether."

"All the better, Corporal. We could not have engaged them, anyway."

"I know. Well, I have to get back to it. I'll see you later, Lieutenant."

"Corporal."

She settled back, resuming her own silent vigil and casting a fleeting gaze upon the servant's form. The form they had covered in flimsy garments, to hide his Illuminated nature from the not-followers. This Lost Creature hid it well, but she, too, had doubt. Fear. Unlike others, she yearned for the moment her doubts would be taken from her. She yearned for the moment she could partake from the blessings her False Savior had promised.

**_TOO LONG_**

Her time would come.

* * *

"Bullshit!" exclaimed Coré, obviously not being able to hold back any longer.

"It's true, Eva." Harper told her, voice serious.

"Jack, you can't tell me you believe this?! Magic?! Wizards and witches?! We are in the damned 22nd Century! We travel faster than light, fuse atomic particles, and control gravity itself! I thought we were beyond these superstitions?!"

"And yet, I assure you it is all very much real."

"But…"

"Oh ye of little faith." Harry gave a loud theatrical sigh, bringing their attention back to him. "There is always a naysayer in the crowd." he said in mock-disappointment. "All right, Ms. Coré. If the teleportation wasn't enough to convince you something beyond conventional tech is at play here, how about this?"

The Bhatias and Harper's teammates were seated around the small table in his 'living room', which he had filled with some refreshments. Harry and Harper were standing, the wizard in the middle of the room and the Custodian relaxing against a counter. Harry had excused himself for a few minutes, in order to secure their prisoner (Letia had remained pointedly quiet at that), and now he had just walked back into the room, holly wand draw, and laid down the basics.

But as always, a little reinforcement was needed.

With a flick of the wand, Harry Conjured a fluffy white bunny in front of the woman, which promptly jumped to her lap. She went stiff as a board, looking wide-eyed at the little animal who gazed back with curious red eyes, sniffing softly at her clothes. All the other seated people stared at it, too. Lucretia and Avani had even got up, so as to have a better look.

The wizard wished he had a camera, the tough operative's face was just priceless. Then he remembered Astrid, and knew she would take care of it.

"That's a rabbit." Harry told her, making his amusement clear. "Herbivores… usually harmless. Ever heard of them?"

"But-but…"

"Go ahead, pet him." the Custodian told her, just as entertained.

She shot him an 'are you out of your mind' look. But after a few moments when she realized that Harper was serious, and that the bunny was not going anywhere, she slowly raised her hand and touched the white fur. The bunny turned to sniff at it.

"It is... it is warm." she said, amazed now. "I can hear it breathing. I can feel its heartbeat... so fast."

Harry smiled. "Conjuring is an advanced branch of Transfiguration, which is the magical discipline that primarily alters the shape, mass, volume or even atomic configuration of a physical object. Now, perhaps one day technology will allow us to instantly create a living, breathing creature of flesh and blood from the ether, like the one sitting on your legs. But I think that day is still a long way to come, yes?"

She managed to tear her eyes from the bunny as it hopped down to the floor, and went to sniff at Hislop's shoes. "It could still be an illusion. A manipulation of the senses."

The wizard shook his head. "Ms. Coré, if I could enter your mind to manipulate your senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch, do you really think that I would waste my time with such a convoluted story? Why not shape a truth that would be much more plausible to you? And please notice that theory would require everyone else in this room to be under the same illusion, or _being _an illusion." he flicked his wand again, and the bunny that had just been picked up by Hislop vanished.

He looked so crestfallen that Harry almost Conjured the little guy back for him.

"I think it is easier to accept if you ignore the name." Harper said, a thoughtful look on his face, scratching his chin. "Like Eva said, 'magic' immediately brings the idea of the superstitious to our minds. But look at it like this; what we have is a previously unknown power that can manipulate matter, energy, space, and even time itself. No, Eva, I kid you not. Ten years ago, we thought it was impossible to directly manipulate gravitational force. Then we found the Archives, and everything changed. We _still _don't know how Element Zero works, what makes it alter the perceived mass of an object. Some people screamed it was sorcery, too. Hell, many of those 'in the know' were convinced eezo was a magical substance, until further testing ruled that out."

The Custodian shrugged, looking around the room. "Is 'magic' so different? It is a force that we don't understand, but whose effects are tangible and observable enough."

"No shit." The female operative was still looking at the spot where the bunny had been.

Avani shook her head slowly. Amazement was the emotion he could see on her face. "And you say the ability to control this… energy, is a purely biological occurrence, Harry? An extremely rare one, from the looks of it? Hereditary?"

He clasped his hands on his back. "Yes… and no, Avani. I will explain better in a bit."

"So you are a wizard, ghost man? Like, a magic ghost? Who can turn people into frogs, and make golems, and shoot fireballs from your hands?" Hislop's eyes shined with juvenile excitement.

Harry gave him a smile. "Yes, Ben. Though the 'fireballs from my hands' part would be quite a challenge, and would most likely end up with me having some embarrassing burns."

"Love it!" the young man stated. "And this means… those cauldrons in the other room, are they actually to brew _potions_?"

"Correct. Potion-making was a long-time tradition of all spellcasters."

"But… using this power, 'magic', how is it done?" asked Coré. "You need that wand, I gather, but you aren't born with the knowledge, right?"

"No, Ms. Coré. Although there _is_ what we call 'accidental' and 'wandless' magic, casting spells is a skill. Just like brewing potions and writing a runic circle. And like all skills, it must be learned, practiced, experimented with, and perfected. And also like all skills, natural talent and sometimes sheer luck play a large role in the process. Spellcasting is divided in a multitude of areas, like Transfiguration, separate by their own distinct characteristics. In later times, children born with the power were usually taught the craft by Masters of a specific field, in schools dedicated solely for that purpose."

"You are almost always speaking in the past tense." they all turned to the younger Bhatia, who was not looking the wizard in the eyes, instead staring at the table. "You are obviously a… wizard. But you speak about the others as if they no longer exist."

Harry sighed. He conjured a comfortable armchair for himself, eliciting another round of blinks from the four (and an impressed whistle from Hislop). After sitting down, he gestured to Harper, who nodded, and made one for the man, too.

"We will get to that. Now, I can't tell you all of our history. It's every bit as long, shattered and messy as normal human history; missing pieces and speculation everywhere you look. So bear with me as I give you the dirty, abridged version."

And for the next whole hour, Harry told them about the Wizarding World. He talked about the hidden magical communities ("You hid an entire district in the middle of London?! Unbelievable!"); about the many magical plants (Gods, what I wouldn't give to study those specimens!") and beasts ("Dragons?! Awesome!"); and about the other sentient races (Fairies were real?! Not that… that I _like _fairies, of course… just forget it.")

He told them a little of the ancient magical civilizations. How they shaped human history in both good and bad ways. How they contributed to the advancement of the sciences. How they produced brave heroes and terrible villains, whose superhuman feats were often still remembered and regarded as myth. How those magical communities lived side-by-side with the non-magical cultures, but the gulf between both worlds got progressively wider, until the International Statute of Secrecy was signed in the 17th Century.

"That…" Avani started, and then stopped speaking as she pondered for a moment. "That was a good and bad thing. It might resolve the immediate issues of the conflicts you mentioned, but creates a slew of new ones."

"Indeed, Avani, but that was the decision. And suddenly, true magic seemed to just… vanish from the world. Time passed, normal humans went about their business, and magic turned into legend. Alive only in the tales and folklore. Eventually, those tales found their way into fantasy novels, movies and videogames. Into the shining stages of Las Vegas' hotels. And there it remains for the majority of mankind, to this very day."

And he told them how the magical world moved on, as well. How wizarding communities ruled themselves, policed themselves, erected their own hidden buildings, districts and even whole villages. How there was almost no formal cooperation between the two worlds. How sometimes a magical child would be born of non-magical parents, or wizards and witches would take normal humans as close friends and spouses, or the many instances were magic would be revealed to the outside world, and all the steps magical governments took to ensure that their society remained a secret.

"What?!" Lucretia exclaimed, looking fairly disgusted at the concept, though thankfully (and surprisingly, to be honest) not at Harry himself. "Messing up with people's minds?! Spying on them?! That's just wrong!"

"It is unethical, sure." Harper interjected. "But look at it from this side; if the secret _had _to be kept, wasn't making people forget better than… removing the threat in a more _definitive_ fashion? Or imprisoning them forever? One could argue that wizards needed to watch themselves more closely, yes, or that the very idea of secrecy was a bad one in the first place. But as far as information-containment goes, you can bet our own governments would use such methods, if they could. And they already spy on the general populace far more than most people are comfortable knowing, or admitting."

She turned to the other two operatives. "You think that, too?"

"We are professional military agents who specialize in covert operations, Ms. Bhatia." answered the blonde soldier with a shrug, not at all hesitant to admit that fact. "We live and breathe top-secret files and confidentiality agreements. I won't say that the thought of someone altering my memories doesn't makes me very uncomfortable, but I can certainly understand the necessity." Hislop nodded seriously besides her.

"Let Harry finish the story, dear." Avani put a gentle hand over her daughter's. "I think we have much more to hear still." he nodded at her.

"I… all right."

Finally, Harry told them about the 20th Century. How in those years Europe saw the rise of two very powerful wizards who came to be recognized as 'Dark Lords'. He told them about Gellert Grindelwald and his 'spiritual successor' Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. How both men tried to overthrow the legal governments of Europe and establish their own twisted magical empires. How they were both stopped. Twice, for the later.

At no times did Harry mention himself by name, or even truly focused on his role, concentrating on painting a general picture.

"And here's where our tale comes to its saddest point. Because Voldemort might have not been the one to bring ruin to the entire Magical World, but he planted the seeds that allowed it to happen."

Harry poured a mug of tea for himself, drinking it slowly as he gathered his thoughts. The others, even Harper, were quiet now. They had all felt how somber the wizard's voice became as he neared the end of his speech, and no one dared to break the silence. Eventually he started again, though he kept his eyes fixed at his reflection on the tea's red surface. He was seeing events and faces that were long gone.

"People are never just 'good' or 'bad'. Voldemort's second rise had not been a structured war between armies; it was a bloody and confusing conflict between neighbors. People who, just a year before, were drinking and laughing together at the local pub." he sighed, putting the half-empty mug back on the table. He put his hands beneath his chin. "While there was no shortage of unrepentant murderers and violent criminals, most of his 'followers' had simply joined the side many, perhaps the majority, thought of as the 'winning' one. But we desperately needed to find the true ring-leaders, the Death Eaters and supporters that got away. The lack of true, deep-reaching reforms after the war made us afraid that those people could return to power at any moment." his thoughts stormed, as images of all that happened after Voldemort's fall; his studies, his training, his missions; all of it flashed before his mind's eye. "Fear for the future made us impatient, made us… obsessed." without knowing, his mouth curved in distaste. "In our zeal, we… we were harsh, we were relentless, and we were unforgiving. Hate did not diminish after the civil war. It grew… on all sides."

The wizard looked at his audience, though by now he was not really seeing them, speaking mostly to himself. "In the end, it was that hate which destroyed us."

He went quiet again, lost in memories. Only later he would think back and notice how he had slipped into his time-frames, and spoken as if he had been an active participant in those terrible events.

Which he had.

After a time when it seemed he was not going to speak any longer, Lucretia softly called to him. "Harry?"

He slowly looked at her, and for the first time since he told her about sparing the turian who killed her boyfriend, Letia was looking at him without that painful sentiment of betrayal. There was concern in her blue gaze. "Harry, what happened?" she asked again.

He moved a hand over his eyes. Merlin, he was tired. But he could not stop now, there was much still to tell. "To understand what happened next…" he begun, giving the young woman a weak smile, which she did not return. "…you'll need to know more about how magic works. Or rather, how it _used_ to work."

He got up. It was better if he was not sitting down, or his tiredness might catch up with him. He once more stood in front of his guests, hands at his back, and spoke in his best 'teacher' voice.

"Let me tell you about Living Magic."

* * *

This campaign was over.

Desolas had suspected that the moment he was informed a small ship bearing the signature of a Citadel Special Envoy hailed the _Penitent Justice_. When its lone pilot further identified herself as an agent from the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, he knew it without a shadow of doubt.

_"__Spectres."_ The general thought, with a mix of respect and contempt. _"The guard beasts of the galaxy; figureheads of the Council's power. The ones who reveal their identities to the public, of course. Diplomats and spies; peacekeepers and assassins; with the official Authority to supersede almost any laws. And now, I have one of them aboard my ship."_

Desolas entered his private rooms to find the slender but strong-looking form of an asari waiting for him. The 'woman' had the blue skin and eyes that were common of her species, along with purple facial markings that differed from his own by being natural, instead of applied. She wore blue-and-white medium armor, and the symbol of the Office was displayed proudly on the right shoulder-pad. A shotgun rested on the small of her back. She had been observing the sparse decorations of his quarters with a look of idle curiosity, not touching anything, and had not immediately turned when the door opened. He decided to take the first word.

"I bid you welcome, Spectre Vasir. I trust my legionnaires gave no trouble in escorting you here?"

It was still a few moments, before she finally took her eyes from one of his perfectly bare walls to look at him. "General Desolas Arterius." she greeted. Despite the apparent snub, her voice was friendly. "Thank you for receiving me. And no problems at all. You run a very tight ship here, General. Not that I expected anything less from an officer of the Hierarchy."

"Kind words all the same, Spectre." he moved over to his table, indicating for the Council agent to take a chair. After they were both seated, the general got straight down to business. "Now, I beg your forgiveness Lady Vasir, but let us not play games with one another. If one of the Office's most renowned agents is here, then it means that our little clash with this new species is either known to the Council already, or is about to be."

Tela Vasir gave him a knowing smile. "Very well, General. Let's be equally blunt, then. Obviously, I'm here to address the Hierarchy's covert military intervention against the newly-discovered humans." she crossed her legs and reclined on the chair, the very picture of easy confidence. As if she had nothing to fear from being alone in a ship filled with almost a thousand trained killers. "Let me begin by stating that the Citadel Council tries its utmost not to interfere in the sovereignty of any Associated or Member Race." her smile never dimmed or increased as she spoke.

Desolas had to make a conscious effort to stall any physical reaction to the woman's words. It was worse than he thought. He now knew the purpose of this visit was not to gather information, but rather to communicate a decision.

And he was proven right. "I haven't come to pry on your affairs, General. The Office has already gathered all the intel needed." the smile got just a fraction larger. "And it has been more than a couple of days now since Palaven gave the Citadel full disclosure, on the advice of your Councilor."

He suppressed the urge to shoot her his coldest glare, keeping his features just as relaxed. "I see. I must confess that it does my heart good to know we no longer keep secrets from our fellow races, Lady Vasir. This intervention was an unfortunate necessity, but nothing that we should be ashamed of."

"I'm sure." she inclined her head in acknowledgment. He could not truly say if she was being honest or not, but he knew which bet he would take.

"And what is the Council's decision on this matter?"

The asari looked away from him, once again examining the room. This time, she seemed to find something about his small, hard-lined bed (more of a cot, really) utterly fascinating. It took almost a minute before she answered. Desolas just waited.

"These humans are an intriguing lot." she would still not look at him. "From a military standpoint, at least. They have fairly advanced naval technology, probably on par with the batarians', if not a little better. They seem quite capable of unconventional tactics, using our perceived superiority against us." Desolas' talons clenched hard beneath the table. "Their emphasis on the use and quality of fighters raised many an interested head, let me tell you. All in all, it seemed you had encountered a race that, if the worst happened, could provide the Hierarchy with a small challenge. It would all depend on the full size of their fleets."

She turned to him, blue eyes gazing placidly on his own. "But then… large fields of an unknown nature, capable of blocking any and all electromagnetic radiation. A relatively well-fortified encampment, and an entire Company of highly trained soldiers, obliterated in less than ten minutes. And not by bombs or missiles, but by an enemy that was only seen because it decided to reveal itself." she waved a deceptively delicate hand. "That made the Citadel rethink its evaluations."

"The human operatives in question claims their unit does not represents, or answers to the ruling political body of his species." the general interjected. "And his speech also suggested that the technology employed was not widely available, though will I admit it was more of an implication than a statement."

The Spectre shrugged. "Does it truly matters, in either case? We don't know how powerful and widespread these 'Ghosts of Shanxi' are. We don't know how closely, or not, they operate besides the human Systems Alliance. We don't even know if any of it is true, or just some ploy. We know _nothing_, General. Which is the reason why we can no longer afford to bludgeon our way with this species." she tilted her head. "As for the technology… we know it _exists_. And if it exists, it can be _reproduced_, it can be _countered_, as long as we understand _how_ it works."

He nodded. "Correct on all points, Lady Vasir. So I ask you again, what is the Council's decision?"

She looked at him for another moment. "The humans, regardless of factions, seem to be competent fighters in space, and deadly ones on the ground. Their technologies _need_ to be understood, and as they have proven themselves willing to compromise and so… _unusually_ restrained…" she smiled again, and again Desolas could not tell which opinions it reflected. "…it has been decided that a diplomatic approach is, by far, the wisest option."

She activated her omnitool, pressing a few commands. His own gear blinked to life in response to the file she had sent him. "In there you will find an Executive Order, bearing the signatures of all three Councilors _and _the Primarch of Palaven. In short, the 16th Interdiction Fleet is to immediately cease all hostile military operations on the human colony of Shanxi. You will remain in orbit and continue to scan the planet, but no hardware or personnel is to be sent into atmosphere. Any human ships that come or leave the system need to be monitored, but are to be left untouched."

She put her hands back in her lap. "The Citadel is sending a delegation, General. But fret not, Palaven is also mobilizing the 8th, 11th and 21st Fleets. About 300 ships between them, if I'm not mistaken? They will be positioned at interstellar space, and will only deploy into this system if needed. If the humans send a fleet of their own before the diplomats arrive, all of your ships are to retreat to the edges of the system and keep clear of any confrontation."

"I have been sent to give you this message, General. I'm also told I will need to be your guest until the arrival of the delegation and the Hierarchy's reinforcements." she concluded.

Oh, he was sure that was the case. He nodded again.

"I will, naturally, abide by the orders of Palaven Command and the Citadel. I will address the Fleet and the 53rd Group in haste. And it will be my utmost pleasure to provide you with the _Justice's_ hospitality, Lady Vasir. I will arrange accommodations for you this instant."

"Thank you, General. I know you carry very limited levo-oriented rations. Don't waste them on me, I have brought my own supply."

"Of course. Will that be all?"

"For the moment." she raised from her chair in one fluid, precise motion. "I will inform you if anything else is required."

He raised, too. "Please, do. If you would follow legionnaire Haskin outside the door, he will take you to your quarters." he gestured to the exit.

She gave him a minute bow, and turned to leave. When she was almost out of the room, though, she turned back to him.

"I must say, General. I'm very much captivated by your quarters." she gestured to the space around them. "Forgive me for making a generalization of race, but turians usually prefer to… individualize their personal spaces with all sorts of mementos. Not you, sir. Clean and focused. No attachments, no distractions, only purpose." she gave her third enigmatic smile, and this one really bothered him. "It says a lot about what kind of man you are, General Arterius."

He inclined his head. "Good things, I hope?"

Vasir did not answer. She only smiled at him for a moment longer, before taking her leave.

Desolas resisted the urge to immediately lock down his rooms and send a message to Lieutenant Abrudas on the _Serarth. _He first needed to ensure Vasir had not left any… surprises on the place.

The general was no fool. He also did not believe in coincidences, and was very paranoid when it came to his ultimate plans for the turian race. Implicit in Vasir's words was the knowledge that the Citadel Council knew about the humans _before_ they were informed of the first contact by Palaven. Now, there were many ways they could have come across that information. Spectres, salarian STGs, Shadow Broker agents, and dozens of other spy organizations kept close eyes on every race's military channels. Despite all the secrecy involving the affair with the humans, something might have leaked along the chain.

Or, there could be another explanation. Maybe, just maybe, they could have discovered about the humans by following the mobilization of the 16th; the arguably smallest, least strategically important of all the Hierarchy Fleets. And the only reason, in his humble opinion, that the Council would be keeping an eye on his fleet was if they were keeping an eye on General Desolas himself.

Perhaps all of his… secondary ventures in these last decades had not gone unnoticed, after all. In any case, it would be better not to give misfortune a chance.

* * *

Harry paced as he talked. "As I told you, raw magic emanates from some celestial bodies, mostly those that bear some kind of organic life. But while magic _can_ alter and reshape reality, the truth is that, by itself, magic doesn't _do _anything."

Coré blinked, confusion plain on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that magic just… stands there. In its 'natural state', it doesn't interacts with the physical world in any way, shape or form that we can observe. Unless it is directly commanded by a being with the ability to call upon it, magic seems like a completely inert force. Just… useless energy."

He let them process that for a moment. It was Harper who spoke first. Harry could feel that the Custodian was both intrigued, despite already knowing most of it, and very, very curious about Harry himself. "And that's where Living Magic comes in."

The wizard inclined his head to the man. "Correct." he pointed his wand at his other hand, and soon he had a bright bluebell flame burning at the palm, swinging gently in an invisible wind. "Imagine that every spell is a fire. In this case, ordinary magic acts both as the fuel source and the oxidizer. After it has started, it will even provide its own heat, for a time, and keep the chain reaction going. But magic alone cannot provide the initial heat necessary for combustion. Something else is needed, there has to be a 'spark' to ignite the flame."

He tapped the wand on his chest. "That spark is provided by Living Magic. It is, as the name implies, a special kind of magic. Changed, evolved. It is magic that we believe has been shaped by the will and thought of thousands of minds, for thousands of years, and thus acquired a will of its own. It is magic that is _alive_, and in a way that is hard to understand and even harder to explain… aware. And it lives inside of every magical being; plants, animals, spirits or people." he tapped his chest again.

"Like… another soul?" Avani asked, eyes wide.

"Of a sorts."

"You say it's 'aware'?" Coré, this time.

"Not exactly sentient as in you and me, or turians. It doesn't have emotions in the way we understand them. It doesn't possess ambitions or dreams. But it _is _conscious, in a fashion, and capable of hearing a spellcaster's thoughts, their wishes, and reacting to them. Living Magic is the force that tells _ordinary_ magic what to do. It is the medium by which all magical beings are able to reach into a planetary magic field. Living Magic is unique to every being which possess it. Its awareness and powers varies with its host. Inside, let's say, an Asphodel," he pointed to a line of pots on a shelf where some plants stood, including one with a large white flower, "it is tiny, barely wakened, and extremely specialized. The Living Magic inside of me, on the other hand, is large, very alert and quite versatile. With enough training, I can ask it to produce a wide range of effects."

He stopped conjuring the flame. Instead, he spoke loud and clear. "_Lumos!"_ and the tip of the wand lit up in a bright beam of light. Then he spoke again. "_Nox!" _and the light went out_. _He pointed the wand at his conjured chair. _"Incendio!" _and the whole piece of furniture instantly ignited in vermillion flames, to startled gasps from many_._ _"Extinguo!"_ and the fire stopped. _"Reparo!"_ the charred and broken chair repaired itself, splintered wood coming back into place, new varnish covering the blackened parts. Three seconds later, and it was as if new.

He turned back to them. "I can't manipulate magic directly. When I levitate something, or conjure fire and light, or change a rock into a platypus, that's not my mind doing those things. That's me _asking_ my Magic to shape the eldritch energy of the planet around me. I am the will, I state the purpose; my Living Magic is the operator, it provides the instructions; and the raw magic is the instrument that executes them."

"I think I get it." Letia said. Her dark eyebrows were creased in thought. "It actually sounds much like how Element Zero can generate Mass Effect fields when subjected to an electrical current. It's a catalyst." he nodded, accepting the analogy. "So, when you said using magic was a learned skill…?"

He smiled at her. "Modern wizards and witches were not truly aware of Living Magic as a separate entity from the ordinary kind until the 21st Century. When children went to schools of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they were unconsciously learning how to speak to their Magic, and conditioning it to access more of the power around them, with more complex results."

Hislop raised his hand.

"Yes, Ben?"

"If your Magic is aware, does it… talks back to you? Because man that must be like… weird." he appeared to be trying to imagine how it would be like to have a little voice whispering inside your head, and having a hard time doing so.

The wizard gave a soft laugh. "It does, Ben." he sent a quick look to Harper. Yep, the bloke was _very_ curious now. "But I fear precious few wizards and witches could listen. Even after they realized it was there."

"All right, Mr. Evans." interrupted Coré. "There's obviously a metric ton of lore behind all this. Like why exactly you need that wand. Or, if there is no 'raw magic' in space as you say, how exactly you were able to power your ship during our flight." he nodded. "And I truly want to hear it. All of it. But as you said, we have much to do outside of this cave today, so I'm afraid we need to pick up the pace and leave the more technical stuff for another time."

Hislop looked especially unhappy with that. But… "You're right, Ms. Coré. We can play ask-the-wizard later. So, you know that magical beings need Living Magic inside them to be… well, magical. But this begs the questions: _where_ does it comes from? Why some people had it, and most didn't? Well, where it came from has an answer that is, at the same time, simple and very complex. It came from planet Earth itself."

"You see, between five and ten thousand years in the past, it's impossible to determine the exact period, a portion of Earth's inert magical field… changed_._ We don't know _why_ that happened, thought the prevailing theory is that it was the collective consciousness of mankind itself that precipitated that event. There are others, of course, but… well, I can't honestly even _begin_ with all the theories of Earth having a mind, a soul, of its own. In any case, at some point of history our planet acquired a Living Magic. That is fact."

"Earth's Living Magic was infinitely stronger, and infinitely vaster than that of any lone magical being. Like… bloody huge. It was everywhere; in the earth, in the water, and in the air. But it concentrated more strongly in a network of streams that came to be known as Lay Lines; the Veins of the World."

"And at some point after it came into being, for reasons we can again only speculate upon, it started to change life… everywhere. On continents and oceans. It infused thousands of different plants and animals, changing them, reshaping them, mixing their characteristics, and even granting intelligence to some." the wizard opened his arms. "For perhaps the next thousand years, there was an _explosion_ of new life, _magical_ life. Dragons, unicorns, nymphs, acromantulas, manticores, giants, goblins, centaurs, merpeople, and many, many others. All came into being during that time. The beautiful and the ugly, the wondrous and the terrifying." he smirked. "And the simply bizarre."

"It infused some humans, too, back before the beginning of recorded history. The first wizards and witches… my people." he continued softly. "Living Magic will usually only answer to its host. Earth's Magic was unique in that it would answer to the call of _all_ magical beings… and there's strong evidence that suggests it would sometimes listen to the will of non-magical humans."

He could see Avani, the one true scientist of the group, thinking furiously. "Harry," she began, "I need to say, with every word you speak the biologist in me squeals like a little girl." then she looked into his eyes. "But it also trembles, because from everything you told us that amazing and unbelievable world suffered some kind of great disaster."

And that, of course, deflated Harry right back. He shrunk into himself and looked up, at the softly glowing globes floating at the ceiling. "Whenever a new magical being was conceived, a wee piece of Earth's Living Magic joined with the new life. It grew with that life, became a part of it, granted it amazing qualities; but also remained somehow connected with the greater whole." he spoke slowly, a ponderous and solemn cadence. "And it continued to randomly infuse the children of completely non-magical human parents. We never found a reason as to _why_ that happened; there's no identifiable pattern. Bio-analysis of wizards and witches never found a single difference in our genetic structures when compared to normal humans."

Avani frowned. "None?"

It was Harper who answered. "Nothing that couldn't be explained by the normal genetic variance between two individuals, no. Magicals are not mutants, from the perspective of biology." the Custodian shrugged. "All of their differences from normal humans; their increased resistance to physical trauma, immunity to non-magical diseases, enhanced healing; all of those are a result of the Magic inside their bodies, and are not perceivable by any medical examination."

Harry nodded. "We were born, we grew, and we died immersed into the Magic of the world. And we did so for thousands of years. Until the Longest Night, just before Christmas Eve, of 2006. On that day, at winter solstice, that cycle was broken for all magical beings."

He sighed, looking sadly at them. "On that day, Earth's Magic was Sundered."

* * *

**_WE MUST KNOW_**

The Voice was thundering inside the Servant's mind.

Its will grasped into every corner of the Lost Ones' vessel. They believed they were the masters of this dead ship, but they were deluding themselves. The Voice watched everything; no secrets escaped its gaze. And it had just assimilated the latest message from the False Savior to his followers.

"Lieutenant Abrudas! Urgent news from the General!" one of the Lost trampled into the Voice's brief sanctuary, fear in his hollow tongue.

"I received it, Corporal. Calm yourself down."

"But… what does this mean?"

"It means there was a change of plans, legionnaire, nothing else. Call the Sergeant. Get the shuttle ready and let's prepare to move the Monolith."

"Yes, Lieutenant!"

**_WE MUST KNOW_**

There was more than orders. The False Savior spoke of the events that happened at the new world he failed to conquer. He spoke of the achievements of the new Lost Species. Information he believed his followers needed to know, when they turned their feeble instruments to the Vessel of the Voice.

And what he spoke of stirred the Voice like nothing else the Servant had experienced in his new purpose. It was aflame with thoughts, with possibility. A crescendo that crashed over the dead vessel like the winds of a star, yet went unheard by its fragile inhabitants.

**_WE MUST KNOW_**

"_Brother Aetius?_"

The Most Devoted of the followers stood in front of the Servant. There was confidence in her stance and strength in her words as she used the Tongue of Slaves, but she could not prevent a spasm of her face when their sights met.

She was fast in her recovering. "_Please, brother, we need to move the Monolith to a new home_._ This ship is no longer safe for it._" when the Servant made no move, for it had no Command to do so, she pushed more words. _"General Arterius will be with us soon, but we need to leave. Could we use your help, brother?"_

**_ENOUGH_**

The Voice gave it new purpose, at last. The False Savior had failed to deliver what was promised. The Voice would seek what it needed, and it needed to cast its will over the new beings. To confirm what the message contained.

For Humanity might not be such a Lost Species, after all.

**_SHOW THEM THE TRUTH_**

For the first time since it started its watch inside this dead vessel, the Servant moved.

And the follower screamed.

* * *

"There were… places on the planet where magic naturally gathered in unusual amounts. Such a place was traditionally called a Nexus, though that was a bit of a misnomer; they actually did not provide 'free' power like the Lay Lines. There _was_ Magic in them, lots of it, but it answered to no one, man or beast. It resisted every single attempt to be commanded, and it was actually _harder_ to cast spells inside those places. They were a mystery, a curiosity. Studied and protected, yes, but after thousands of years, most people did not expect to get anything from them."

"One such place was located beneath the British Isles. More specifically, in the lowest level of the British Ministry of Magic, at the very heart of Great London. Since its construction, that whole floor had been dedicated to the study of dangerous and forgotten magics."

Harry got up once more, and this time he paced quickly. His speech became more rapid, heavier as he came closer to that terrible point, that memory.

"A group of wizards and witches broke into the Department of Mysteries. They were made up of ex-Death Eaters, lesser Voldemort supporters, and… others. They managed to enter the ever-locked doors of the First Chamber, and once inside that hallowed place, they enacted an ancient ritual. A ritual fuelled by death, pain, and hatred; so dark, so dangerous, that even its creators had decided not to use it. But those people did, and for the first time in recorded history, wizards were able to influence the Magic of a Nexus."

His voice was filled with hollow humor. "An historical event, for bloody sure. And what they did? They harmed the Magic of Earth, somehow. Poisoned it, twisted it, and maimed it."

He took a deep breath, his hands were shaking slightly, and he put them inside his pockets. "The criminals… were eventually all captured or killed. But even if the Ministry knew something terrible had happened inside that room, the effects were not immediately felt. After that night, every Nexus went silent. And over the course of a few years, Earth's Magic slowly… vanished. It took some time for the consequences to reveal themselves, but when they did, it was like the apocalypse."

He shook his head, as if the movement could chase away the darkness of his post-awakened investigation. When he found the accounts of what happened, pierced together all the painful tales, and read page after page filled with misery.

"No one knew it at the time, but Earth's Magic was no longer granting its 'shards' to new life forms. Most magical beings were biologically dependent on magic to survive. Without the initial spark, fetuses and seeds could not develop and be born. And as if the impossibility of bearing descendants was not tragedy enough, not a horrible enough nightmare… it got worse." Harry stared at the bright red table-cloth; he felt a burst of fury join the bleak sadness inside him. Fury at the ex-Death Eaters, at the woman who lead them, and at himself. Much of it at himself. "The connections that linked all the individual Living Magics to Earth's were severed, one by one. And the backlash from that Sundering was an incredibly traumatic force that damaged all magical beings in different ways. Those that were more closely tied with Earth's Magic suffered the worst effects, though." his voice failed him for a moment. "They… died."

Avani gasped. "D-died? Just like that?"

Harry nodded, eyes closed. "Not instantly, no, but close. All over the world plants, animals and people fell ill. Most perished within a couple of months, a few managed to last almost a year. Spirits and ghosts simply faded away. Try to imagine… try to imagine how it was. A plague, invisible and untreatable, that struck everywhere, sapped your strength and eventually reduced you to a living shell. In a very, very short amount of time it destroyed almost all life. It was a Mass Extinction period that left the magical world in shambles. Entire civilizations, which had lived and thrived for millennia, just… gone."

He remembered walking among the ruins of countless villages and settlements. He remembered the burial mounds of the centaurs resting under the silent stars. Remembered the grim monuments erected by the merfolk deep beneath the dark waters. Remembered the records of savage despair and hopelessness, engraved in the rocky walls of the giant's caves.

So much pain could be felt in those places; graveyards filled with thousands of invisible and mute ghosts. So much sorrow, so much anger, so much _death_. Such meaningless death. Such _waste._

_"__My fault."_ that small and dark part of his mind whispered. _"All of it, my fault."_

Harper already knew, so there was no shock on his part, but his head was still bowed down in sadness. A silent prayer for a world he only heard and read about.

"Of the fully sentient races, the only ones other than humans who survived were the goblins. The little buggers had become as removed from their Living Magic as the humans so many of them despised." he gave a mirthless laugh.

"Those people…"Avani shook her head. There was grief from her, and Harry was thankful. "The panic… it must have been… I can barely imagine."

The wizard shuddered. "It was chaos. Utter chaos. Frankly… I have no idea how the magical governments managed to keep even a slick of order, especially in the beginning."

There was another minute of silence. Harry's thoughts drifted, and his tiredness must have been catching up to him, because when he was next aware, Hislop was awkwardly clearing his throat. "Huh… what-what did they do? The magic leaders, I mean?"

The wizard threw himself into his chair, he was too tired to stand up any longer. "You mean _besides _engage into a permanent battle to keep fearful, angry and resentful spellcasters from blowing up each other or the guiltless non-magicals around them?" he sighed. "Almost as one, the wizarding world's sharpest minds threw themselves into feverish work, with only two goals; find out _what _in the name of Morgana happened_, _and figure out how the bloody hell to fix it. Eventually, as the years passed and little progress was made, they reached out to non-magicals for help. Not a particularly popular move, it needs to be said. That's where Harper's side comes in." he nodded to the Custodian.

Everyone turned to look at the man, and his teammates' faces were interesting to see. Coré and Hislop seemed appropriately suspicious of their companion's unknown past, one much more so than the other. But there were no doubts or hurt feelings that he could detect; nothing but trust that whatever the man had hidden from them was done for a very good reason.

Harper sighed, a somber look on his face. "We did amazing things together." he said, echoing the words he spoke to Harry a week earlier. "We helped the wizards develop the theories of Living Magic and the Sundering, which were later confirmed. But there was nothing we could do to save them." he finished quietly.

Avani turned to Harry. "But there was Living Magic in other things, right?" the wizard nodded. "Couldn't you… take a piece of it? Infuse it into a new life form?"

Harry smiled tiredly, but it was a smile of the hopeless. "What you suggest was attempted, but it never worked. It seems only Earth's Magic was strong enough, or perhaps _pure_ enough, to take hold of a new life and become an indistinguishable part of it. To grow with it and answer to its will, if it had any."

"That is why you became a Voyager!" Letia suddenly said, eyes a little wide. "Isn't it, Harry? You are looking for Living Magic in other planets!"

This time, his smile was a little more genuine. "Yes, Letia. It was my hope… if I could find a new source of Living Magic, if I could study it and learn its inner workings… maybe I could discover how to reach Earth's. Figure out what exactly went wrong and how to reverse it."

"But you haven't found it?" Harry would take the pity in her voice over her disappointment any day.

"No, I haven't. If the theories are right and it were humanity's minds, perhaps even our souls, which first awakened the magic of Earth after hundreds of thousands of years, then I would need to look into a planet that has produced sentient life. That's why the First Contact with the turians was such a bittersweet event for me. I'm still hoping we can end this bleeding stupid war, and that a trip to Palaven might be the answer to all of my questions." he sighed, wistfully.

"If the birds don't have their own sorcerers waiting to 'welcome' you." Coré pointed out.

"That's something that my heart both dreads… and wishes desperately for, Ms. Coré." the wizard said quietly. Then he took a deep breath. "But we still have to finish the story." he gestured to Harper, who nodded back and took up the narrative.

"While on the scientific front our peoples made incredible discoveries on both ends, on the political and social sides… things were not so good. They got really bad, to be honest. There was open revolt in many magical communities, secret wars started between nations. And many times those conflicts spilled into our world." he shook his head. "Do you all remember the Bloody Dawn of Hong Kong? The disaster that destroyed entire districts of the city and killed tens of thousands?"

They nodded, awful understanding on their faces. The Custodian's was grim. "That was a consequence of an all-out war between magical China and India, as the two communities, who had never been best friends in the first place, fought for resources."

"Gods…" Avani put her hands on her mouth.

"A new Dark Lord rose in the U.S. and also brought chaos. He and his followers performed fell rituals of larger and larger proportions, sacrificing magicals and non-magicals alike in droves, claiming it would save their people. His cult was stopped by a coalition of wizard-soldiers called the International Defense Association. They were led by one of the heroes of the Voldemort rebellions. He died bringing the Dark Lord down."

Harry's hand clenched hard. Brave and loyal Neville.

"Those incidents forced many more non-magicals to be made aware of the wizards, and generated an understandable amount of resentment." Harper continued. "Of course, that resentment was promptly exacerbated by plain old human nature. We did our fair share of injustices, make no doubt. Relationships were tense for decades; it was the Cold War all over again, only this time it was a secret one. Almost at the end of the 21st Century, things came to a head, so to speak."

"By that time," Harry picked up, "even the relatively few wizards and witches born just before the Sundering were old people. They were out of time, and open conflict between our worlds seemed inevitable. After much deliberation between the tattered remains of magical leaderships, they came to a decision. A decision much like the one taken four centuries ago."

"They went into hiding again." Avani concluded.

He gave a raspy laugh. "In a way."

* * *

"_Serarth_, this is the _Panahen_, what's your status?"

Silence. Just like the first two times the Comms operator had tried. He turned to his commander, looking for instructions.

The turian woman stood at the center of her CIC, arms crossed at her back and staring intently at the image of their sister frigate. The _Serarth_ was just floating aimlessly in space. Energy readings told them its systems were down to the bare minimum. After the ship failed to send the periodic 'all fine' signal to the other patrolling vessels, she had immediately ordered her ship to jump into FTL. She had expected to find the vessel in combat with human reinforcements, or destroyed, or just gone. She had not expected to find it adrift, undamaged and unresponsive; without a single sign of any other ship having been in the area.

"Send the warning to the Fleet." she finally ordered. "Sensors, keep a close watch. Leave those engines warm, we might need to flee at any moment." she opened a channel to the hangar. "Master Sergeant, get your legionnaires ready for boarding."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Commander!" Comms called. "I'm receiving a transmission from the _Serarth_!"

"Stream it!" she ordered briskly.

The man did so. It was audio, only. A voice screamed at them, the man's flanging coated by an undertone of panic rarely heard in a trained turian soldier. "Can you hear me?! This is the _Serarth _medical officer! We need help! The ship has been overrun with unknown hostiles, the lower levels have stopped responding! The CIC has been compromised!"

"Give us data, legionnaire. What are the hostiles? Humans?"

"No, they are not Void-cursed humans!" he screamed. "They are monsters, turians with grey skin and glowing implants! We have barricaded ourselves inside the medical wing, but they…"

There was a loud crash, and the sound of tearing metal. Another voice could be heard in the background. "Spirits! Lieutenant, the doors…!"

"Open fire! Everything you have!" and the screams of mass accelerator rounds filled the channel, drowning out the shouts of desperate soldiers.

"Legionnaire?! Can you hear me?!" the Commander demanded. She contacted her ground team again. "Master Sergeant, get those plates moving!"

"We are leaving the bay now, Commander! Tell those legionnaires to hold their ground!"

The cacophony of sounds was still clearly heard; fire and death. It was an eerie thing to see the frigate floating so placidly among the stars, while knowing that people were dying inside it at that very moment. And every second that passed, the thunder of guns became lower.

"EPHILAS!" the same soldier that had spoken first screamed, his voice keening with grief and hatred. Another gun went quiet. "CURSE YOU, MONSTERS! CURSE YOU!"

The commander knew what would happen. "Calm down, legionnaire! Do not abandon your posi…"

But it was too late. There was a scream of blind rage; the sound of running footsteps and rapid fire; of a violent struggle that lasted only a few seconds, before they could hear the gurgling of a throat being squeezed.

The officer's voice was faint, wheezing, choked. "Curse… you…"

And then, silence.

"Spirits…" her First Officer whispered.

She turned to her Comms officer. "Alert the…" only to be interrupted by a shout from Sensors.

"The Serarth is powering up!"

And so it was. The energy readings spiked, the engines went on-line, and before she could do anything, the frigate spun away and shot out into FTL.

It was headed deeper into the System.

* * *

"First, came the Sylphids." the wizard stated.

And on that cue, his companion's voice rang over the room, coming from the datapad he had left on the table. "Hello, organics! Please, bow down to the superior life form."

Avani and Lucretia blinked. Hislop and Coré were startled and confused by the new character. Harper gave a slight smile.

"Ms. Astrid?" the mother asked.

"Yup!"

"I was wondering why we hadn't seen you here."

"Oh, lady, I have been 'here' all along. I was just waiting for the moment of my dramatic entrance."

"I… what?"

"You called us 'organics'…" Letia's interjected, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Yup!" she repeated.

"What did you mean?"

"I meant exactly what I said."

Harry shook his head in exasperation. Better to stop it before that conversation went downhill. "Astrid is a Sylphid. She is a magical sentience created by means of an extraordinarily complex ritual, and gifted with the power to manipulate any and all exchange of electronic data."

Coré blinked, turning shocked (and alarmed) eyes to the radio. "That's an A.I.?!"

"Oh, please." the Sylphid scoffed. "I leave those sissies in the dust, blondie."

"Astrid," Harry interrupted again, "shares many characteristics with A.I.s, but she is a purely ethereal being capable of possessing non-living objects as 'bodies'. If those objects happen to be vehicles or robots, she can operate them freely. She is_ fully_ sentient, capable of reflection and emotions."

"Yeah! Like for example, I usually have the most _gorgeous_ body that you soldierlings took on a trip just some hours ago. And I would get really _hurt _and _angry_ if it was damaged in any way. So for all of your sakes, I hope it is just the way I left it."

Hislop's eyes widened. "You are… were, Ghost Man's ship?"

"You are THE _Astrid_?! The Trailblazer?!" Letia's voice was an octave higher in pitch.

"And the next time you call me a 'big red flying tube', girlie, there's going to be some pain. Oooh, you can bet there will."

"All right, girl. I think you have promised enough retribution for the day." Harry sighed.

"Not even close."

Coré scrapped her knuckles on the table, getting everyone's attention, and demanded. "Just how were these thin…"

"Hem-hem!"

"…these _people_ created?"

The wizard kept a laugh inside. Trust his girl to brighten his mood a little. "The Sylphids were idealized by perhaps the most brilliant of the magical researchers, one who had been a leader in the efforts from the beginning." if he took a longer breath than usual, no one seemed to notice. "Hermione Wilkins, a British witch and an ex-Unspeakable. She was greatly aided in the conception by her husband, John Wilkins, a non-magical Computer Engineer. Together, they developed the ritual that brings life to a Sylphid."

"All hail the Mother and Father." Astrid spoke in exaggerated reverence. She was only half-joking, though. She really respected the memory of the couple, even if she sometimes cursed them for the 'failsafes' they came up with.

Harper spoke up, a smirk on his face. "Inside a magic field, the Sylphids can hack into any network or electronic device, connected to the Web or not. Give them enough time, and they can assume control of all the systems in a district, city, or even whole nations. They could scour every single digital device on Earth, ensure that it was clean of sensitive data, find out about plans and operations way ahead of time, and sabotage all kinds of equipment."

Their eyes widened in understanding. The soldiers, especially, could understand all the implications of such power. Harry decided to expand a little.

"What Hermione Wilkins' ritual does, at its most basic form, is to fully develop the inherent awareness of Living Magic, instill it with true reasoning and intellect, effectively creating a being made of pure arcane energy. It only works with a Magic source that is very 'neutral' to begin with, though. Any Magic belonging to a sentient being is too tied up with its host's consciousness, their spirit, and fiercely resists the process."

"But there are buildings on Earth were magic has been used so much, and for so long, that it infused every inch of them. Slowly, the stone, wood and metal absorbed almost negligible fragments of Living Magic from the thousands of spellcasters that lived, studied or worked inside them. In time, those buildings ended up awakening a Magic of their own; not nearly as aware as a human's, but much more powerful. Three Sylphids were created by using the Magic from some of the more important magical structures on Earth."

"Yeah." Astrid spoke. "There was Rinzen, created with the Magic from the Evergreen Palace in the Jiuzhaigou Valley. Ya' know, it was once the location of the ancient Tibetan Magic Council, before it became devoted exclusively to performing rituals. Or perhaps you didn't. Then there was Ichtaca, from the Temple of Gathering Whispers near the Mesoamerican city that was later know as Teotihuacan. It was also used for rituals, but it was later rebuilt and became the oldest magic school in the Americas."

"Wow, so you three like… hacked into every computer on Earth?" asked Hislop.

"_They_ did. I was actually not around at the time. I was created not so long ago by little Harry here, from White Raven's Hall in Norway. I've got Viking blood, baby."

Harper's head rose sharply at that. He seemed very surprised.

"Explains why you like to raid defenseless networks so much." the wizard muttered.

"Quiet you, dirty Englishman!"

"Wait!" Letia raised her hand. "If you're not the third, huh… 'original' Sylphid, who was?"

Harry closed his eyes and suppressed a groan, because he knew exactly what was coming.

"Oh!" Astrid began, with all the cheerfulness of a brightly colored chainsaw. "That would have been Eliza; the crazed, manipulative, murdering old bitch!"

"Astrid…" he warned.

"Ah _c'mon_, Harry! That cunt killed her sisters! She tried to kill _you_!"

"_Enough, _Astrid!" he ordered, voice hard.

There was a sullen silence from the datapad. All the others were looking at him with varying degrees of surprise, curiosity and discomfort. Harper's gaze was especially drilling.

"Huh, what was that?" Hislop asked hesitantly.

Harry took a deep breath; it was becoming a habit of his. He spoke while he massaged his forehead, his words stilted and heavy. This was a painful topic for him. He once thought that, after awakening in the future, all his worst memories had been left in the past. "The Sylphids were… _are_ extremely powerful beings. In an age where lives are ruled by servers and robotics, someone like Astrid could ruin an entire civilization. Hermione… she made sure to include heavy constraints into the Sylphid Ritual, to keep them from becoming too dangerous. That woman was a genius, and she made it so the shackles are an inseparable part of the magic she devised." he spun the tea mug in front of him, watching the now cold liquid swirl lazily. "But something went… wrong, in the creation of Eliza, who was the last of the original sisters. The Sylphids were meant to keep vigil over Earth's networks. Watch out for threats and signs. Eventually, they were meant to aid any new magical beings. If… there ever was any."

"And they kept that watch, for almost half a century after the last known witch died. But a little over fifteen years ago, Eliza went rampant. Mad. She _destroyed_ Rinzen and Ichtaca, and stopped communicating with the Custodians. Shortly after that, I… found out about all that happened to the magical world. And I found _her_, as well. Or to be more precise, she found _me_. We… we worked together…" his smile was brittle and full of regret. "For a while, before I learned about her… condition, her actions. She… look, I can't talk about that right now. Let's just say that she got out of control, put a lot of people in very grave danger, and Astrid and I were forced to… stop her."

"And good riddance." came the soft muttering from the table. Harry's hands clenched hard around his mug, but he stayed silent.

"So that's what happened…" Harper's voice brought their attention to him. The man's body was tense with surprised dismay, eyes somber. "Prof. Calissari and the others were all very… unsure, when the sisters stopped answering to our calls. When I came to Shanxi, I thought Astrid was one of them. I thought the reason they had gone silent was because they had found a new wizard to serve." he shook his head. "Even after you told me her name, up until now, I still thought… damn it! Do you know what happened to Eliza, Harry? What made her ignore her directives?"

He shook his head. "No idea, Jack."

"I can see the matter is difficult to you, but I… you _need_ to tell me whatever you can. The Custodians must know. Not now, of course, but later…"

"Later, Jack. And I'm relieved you believe me."

"All right!" Coré interrupted. "Can either of you tell me what _your_ part in all of this is?" she asked her leader, accusingly. Hislop also turned curious eyes to the man. "I assume it has something to do with the word 'Custodian'?"

It was Harry who answered. "You remember the _Fidelius Charm_ that I mentioned during the story about Voldemort's downfall?" they all nodded. "The last wizards and witches devised a ritual based on that spell, though only marginally. When enacted, it would turn the knowledge of true magic, and all it related to, into a Secret. A Secret that would stay with all magical beings, but would be erased from the minds of everyone else, only that one time."

That made all four amazed, and fearful. Harry had been, himself, when he found out. It was incredible what magic could achieve, if enough power and will was throw behind it. Though it certainly helped that the targets of the ritual had no Magic to protect them. "It was perhaps the greatest successful mass invocation in wizarding history. Hundreds of wizards and witches from all nationalities and cultures, all over eighty years old at the time, gathered in _the _oldest known human magical site; Parlak Oda, in the Province of Erzurum, Turkey. When it was all said and done, the knowledge of magic vanished from Mundane minds. The sisters made sure that all digitally-stored information was erased. Special teams of wizards took care of any physical proof that had not been put into safety along with the rest of the magical artefacts."

"They were fortunate that colonization of the Solar System was still limited to a few hundred people, and some… careful manipulation in the years before guaranteed that none of them were 'in the know'."

"Wait a minute…" Avani was frowning. Not in anger, but in remembrance. "The 'amnesia-syndrome' at the end of the last century? Thousands of people all over the world were affected! It baffled specialists for decades, and spun the most ridiculous conspiracy theories. _Including _extraterrestrial intervention."

Harry nodded. "And now you know what it was. There was a lot of damage control involved, the Sylphids made sure investigations got nowhere. The ritual was not performed lightly, nor was it a unanimous decision, far from it. Many of those people had known about magic for a very long time, and the removal of that knowledge, and the fracturing of most memories associated with them, often had… very bad consequences to their professional and personal lives. And remember; many of those affected, more than half of them actually, were the children, grandchildren and spouses of wizards and witches." he finished, softly.

"So… after that ritual of yours, only magicals knew about your world, right?" Hislop asked after a few moments.

"Aside from the Custodians, yes. And you can trust me when I say that every effort was made to ensure it remained that way."

Harry often wondered if wizards and witches had not _deserved _to die out by the end. The amount of paranoia and anti-Muggle sentiment had grown to dreadful levels. More than a few protesting folk had their memories erased and their powers blocked. Some had 'disappeared' altogether. What both Harper and Harry had failed to mention was that the Custodians of Magic were created 'illegally', by a group of his people that agreed with the necessity of secrecy, but were not willing to revile all Mundanes. Hermione had been among them.

"And _where_ do you enter, Jack?" Coré asked again. She appeared to be getting rather cross with them not answering her yet. The Custodian seemed to find her indignation very funny, like usual. It was like a game to them. "_You _wasn't even born at that time."

"No, I most certainly wasn't. Barely a dream in Mommy and Daddy Harper's heads, I bet."

She looked unamused.

"Well, if you insist… twenty-one wizards used another devilishly complex bit of sorcery to transfer their Magic into twenty-one chosen Custodians; people of resources, and with an honest desire to see magic restored. Top politicians, powerful businessmen, and brilliant scientists. A Secret, we call it, in homage to the _Fidelius_. A Secret that can be transferred to a new keeper, a successor, like what happened to me. Now, before you start thinking that makes your dashing leader here a wizard himself, let me remind you that foreign Magic can't be commanded by whomever it is put into. I can no more teleport myself around than the four of you."

He gave a mock pout, it seemed he was trying to hide his strange melancholy about the Sylphids by cranking up the humor.

"But the Magic in the Custodians does come with benefits… as well as some restraints. I can't divulge my knowledge of magic to anyone, by any means, without express permission from a Sylphid, for instance." he nodded to the datapad on the table. "As for the benefits… well, I can sense all magic to a degree, I can see past illusions and glamours, I can use potions in outer space and my mind is well-protected from any… external attempts to control or modify it."

Though not from simple passive Legilimency, as Harry well knew. He was also curious as to why Harper did not mention his inability to hurt a magical being, or allow one to be hurt, unless in self-defense.

Harry thought it was long past the time to wrap everything up. They had been here for almost three hours.

"And that," he began, getting out of his chair, "is the short version. However long it might have seemed. The sad history of the magical world; doomed to extinction by our own failures, hidden away by our own choice, and now reduced to waiting out for a miracle. One that might never come." he sighed. "Now, I need to repeat what we said at the beginning; you _cannot_ divulge what was told here to others. I am trusting all of you with these secrets, my people's secrets, because I think you deserve to know, and I could use some help. From _all _of you." he made sure to direct his words at the two civilians in the room. He also looked each one of Harper's teammates in the eyes, trying to get a feel for their thoughts.

Hislop was utterly fascinated with magic, childishly so. The large operative looked to Harry and the enchanted items strew around the room with envy, though it was not the poisonous, malicious kind. He was a good man.

Eva Coré was a practical woman. She was interested in magic, but was also already thinking of ways to counter Harry and Astrid; to react if they ever became a threat. She was willing to defer to Harper on the topic, though, and his support was obvious. The Custodian had told the truth when he said both of them would take the secret to their graves, for him. Their loyalty reminded Harry very painfully of Ron and Hermione.

Harry knew Avani and Letia well enough by now to read their opinions without invading their privacy. His older friend was torn between her burning scientific curiosity about all he had told and her sadness at the fate of the magical world. Letia seemed curious and envious like Hislop, but her recent experiences dampened much of her enthusiasm. She was fairly disgusted by some of the manipulations done by wizards, as well. Neither directed suspicious gazes at him, and that was all he could ask of them.

"All right, Harry." Letia finally said. She shot him another of her 'not getting out of this one' looks. If it was a more heated than usual, he was fine with that. "We get the whole magical world stuff. What I want to know now is about _you._ You can't be older than thirty! How did you become a wizard, if you say all the old ones died and Earth's Magic is still lost?"

And there it was. There really was not any reason to hide who he was from them, if they knew almost everything else. He opened his mouth to answer…

…when Astrid interrupted him. Her voice was hurried, and sounded more than a little worried.

"Ahhh, hate to mess up the big revelation, guys, but we might be having more turian problems very soon."

Avani and Letia stiffened. Harper, Coré and Hislop all went to full alert, their previously relaxed faces hardening straight into what Harry called 'soldier mode'.

The wizard looked at the datapad. "_Bollocks_." He did not even had a chance to get some sleep. Well that was what potions were for. "Show us, girl."

* * *

The frigate broke out of faster-than-light speed impossibly close to Shanxi's atmosphere. It ignored all the frantic hails from the ships around the planet and simply charged straight over the region where the purple dome of the Shroud could be seen, marring the red surface of the planet.

It was not long before the grey hull was enveloped into the fire of reentrance. For the second time that day, a turian frigate burned its way down Shanxi's skies.

* * *

"What the fuck is that ship doing?!" Coré demanded of the datapad. Harry had hastily cleared the table of all the clutter and put his image projector over it. It now displayed the sensor data of the incoming ship, which was burning towards Central Settlement with all the unrelenting directness of a bullet.

"Don't ask _me_, blondie! I can't read minds from the thermosphere!"

Harry had the control sphere of the Orbs in hand, and was once again aligning the symbols to the right pattern. "Astrid, will disabling it with the Orbs do any good?!"

"At this time? No, it won't do any fucking good! At the speed and angle that thing is coming down, we will only have a frigate-sized meteorite crashing over the colony!"

"Is-is that the plan?" Letia's voice trembled with rage. "Are they going to just ram that ship over Central?"

Avani had her hands on her face, horrified eyes peeking between her fingers.

"Bastards!" Hislop's knuckles gripped the back of a chair so hard, the wood cracked in protest.

_"__Is that your response, Arterius? Smashing one of your deactivated ships on our heads?"_ the wizard thought, furiously. His eyes had hardened to emerald chips of ice as he watched, impotently, the burning streak break the mesosphere. _This _had been the kind of response he had dreaded from the start. The reason, aside from all his personal rules of engagement, that they needed to play carefully with the turians, to tread a very fine line between not appearing weak while still not pushing them too far, _especially _with a man like Arterius in charge.

"Astrid!" he spoke firmly. "The Alliance's systems will have to fend for themselves for a while. Focus everything you have on that ship! As soon as it is in range, stop it!"

"Got it!"

They all waited, almost not daring to breathe. It was all they could do. Harper was standing closest to Avani, and he put a comforting hand on the distraught woman's shoulder.

A minute later, the frigate entered Shanxi's stratosphere. It cut off its engines, even decelerated to a mere high supersonic speed, the flaming aura of reentrance much duller now. So perhaps it was not a suicide run, after all. But it was now free-falling straight above the Shroud. More precisely, straight above Central Settlement.

They should not have been able to locate the city beneath the purple dome. Was it just a coincidence?

"I can feel it!" Astrid announced. Then, she went quiet. The six of them waited once more. Five seconds passed… then ten seconds… then fifteen.

And still the frigate came.

"Astrid?" Harry called.

No response.

"Girl?" he called again, louder.

Still nothing. The ship did not reactivate the engines. It did not slow down or changed its course.

Something was wrong. Even if she was having trouble with the frigate's systems, which was almost ridiculous, the Sylphid should have been able to spare an infinitesimal part of her vast magical brain to answer him.

Harry took the datapad, and all but shouted on it. "Astrid, what the heck is going on?!"

The answer finally came; even louder and more desperate. "HARRY!"

It was very rare for his companion to sound truly distraught.

"Girl, what happened?!"

"Fuck, Harry! There's… there's _something_ inside that ship! Something I've never felt before. It's… I don't know what the fuck it is! It won't let me enter!"

"What?!"

All the others looked from him, to the pad in his hand, to the descending vessel. Which had just broken the highest cloud line. Surprise and fear lined their faces.

"It… _attacked_ me." she said, almost as if she could not believe it. "A hammer of thought the size of a mountain. That fucking _hurt!_"

"Attacked you?!" the wizard demanded. "Are you all right?!"

Were Astrid's words from so many days ago, while Harry was putting up the wards over Shelter 05, prophetic? Did the turians had a Sylphid of their own? Even an ordinary A.I. should not have been any problem.

"Of course I'm frecking all right!" she shot back in indignation, though Harry knew her well enough to see it was mostly a cover for her sudden insecurity. "If the Bitch could not break me, that… _thing_ won't either." then her voice cut, and when she spoke next, it was with sincere regret. "But… I couldn't break through _it_, too. I-I'm sorry, Harry."

He watched the projector's screen. It was too late to do anything, now. The ship was directly above the Shroud, only a few kilometers to go. His mind worked at a million miles an hour, bringing up theories, explanations, and plans.

"It's all right, girl."

But they both knew it was not.

* * *

When it was about to reach the top of the purple dome, the ship suddenly engaged both its maneuvering thrusters and its Mass Effect envelope. It decelerated to below the speed of sound. Even then, such an extreme drop in velocity inside a gravity field would have killed anyone onboard.

The frigate passed through the edge of the dome. Immediately, the magic of the Shroud moved to suppress all communication technology inside the craft. But it was met with a dark wall of power that permeated the entire hull, stopping it as if the walls of a fortress. The frigate broke from its nose-dive and set a steep circling course over the small towers and long, squat buildings of Central Settlement. The nimble vessel thundered across the sky, its sharp grey contours gleaming in the sun. At the almost empty Alliance Headquarters next to the Settlement, the four large high-powered railguns trailed the enemy. Designed to protect the city from a very unlikely pirate raid, not from an alien military-grade craft, the weapons would have a tough time in bringing the spaceship down, even if the Marines had been willing to blast it when it was in such a dangerous position. The soldiers on the ground hurried to find shelter, the few shuttles flying above were ordered to get clear of the area as fast as possible.

Orders flew frantically over the human comms. Almost three hundred men and women scrambled into position. For now, the Marines waited until their personnel in the city were clear of immediate danger. When that happened, all available firepower would be throw against the target.

But the turian frigate did not attack. Its main gun and GARDIAN array remained silent. It simply circled the city like a giant hawk looking for its prey, its large shadow streaking ominously over the white buildings.

Until, without any warning, the ship broke out from its circling and dived towards the center of the city. Seconds later, the grey hull rammed the tallest buildings, shattering white metal, plastics and permacrete over the streets, along with pieces of its own. The sound reverberated for kilometers. The vessel hit the ground, cutting a devastating swat over five-hundred meters long across the human city, destroying dozens upon dozens of structures, and killing any unfortunate soul trapped under its path. The earth under the entire Settlement shook with the impact. After what felt like an eternity for the horrified onlookers, the spaceship stopped, tumbled on its side. The wings were broken, large segments of the armor plates were torn and slashed, but although the hull sported a huge crack down its middle, it was still relatively in shape.

After the fragments of earth and metal stopped raining from the sky and the dust clouds had settled, there was a deathly silence over the city.

And a minute later, with a *CRACK* that resonated across the entire Aloquian Plateau like a shockwave, the giant purple dome that had enveloped the region for over three weeks broke down. Even from inside it, were the purple edges could not normally be seen, it was possible to observe as the heavens rippled and shattered.

For the first since turian eyes first looked upon it, the human colony of Shanxi was exposed for all to see. From the earth, and from the sky.

* * *

"Here, this will take you both to Shelter 05. An out-of-the-way corner. It will also bring you back here. You get Sam and return straight away, Avani. Astrid will cover your back, and we will think up an excuse for the lad."

Harry handed the necklace to the mother. She took it and nodded seriously. "Will you still be here?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

She looked at his eyes for long seconds. Harry started to fidget, and had to make a very strong effort not to interpret the feelings her dark orbs shot into his own, whatever they were. After finding whatever she was looking for, the woman put a gentle hand over his cheek and spoke softly. "Be careful, please, my friend. You still have a long path ahead of you."

_That_ little trick was clear enough. Avani knew his character well. If reminding him of his mission to restore Earth's Magic could force him to perhaps take better care of his own life, she was not above a little emotional blackmail. Smart woman.

He nodded, speaking just as softly. "I will try."

The woman looked at him for a second longer, before using the same hand to squeeze his shoulder and turning to her daughter. "Let's go, Lucretia."

The girl came over and took hold of the chain. Before they left she also took a quick side-look at the wizard. "Don't die, you hear me? You still have a lot to explain for yourself." she ordered him gruffly.

That made him crack a smile. Her rage was still there; most at the turians, a little at him; but they were on the mend. "Of course."

Ms. Bhatia spoke the words, and they were gone.

"All right!" he turned to the Custodian and his companions. "That frigate has crashed right over one of the objects that generated the Shroud, and now I strongly suspect it was not a coincidence. The impact would not have dislodged it, _something _inside that ship is actively suppressing the magic of that Orb. The Resonance can only work with all Orbs in conjunction."

"Is it magic?" asked Harper, eyes burning with determination, hands clenched tight.

"It doesn't feels like it." answered Astrid. Now that Avani and Letia were gone, she spoke directly into their communicators. "It's not any kind of magic I've ever seen, that's for sure. It's… it's not force, it's not energy. It's _cold, _it's_ empty_… as if the void of space itself had descended to Shanxi. I can't see into it, it's like a pitch-black storm cloud in my perception."

"Stay away from it, girl. Whatever it is, it tried to harm you once already."

"It took me by surprise!" she pointed out, very annoyed. "I'm more than ready for it now!"

But the wizard shook his head. "No, Astrid. Let's play this carefully. That 'pitch-black' zone is its territory. Until we can learn more, it's too risky."

"He's right." the Custodian agreed. "Mr. Evans and I should examine the area, first. See what we can find."

"Humpf." the Sylphid huffed, but gave her silent agreement.

"We will need to talk with General Williams, Jack. The whole city is exposed now, and you said that he is nervous about us after what happened in Shelter 05. I was just fine with the Alliance hunting me, but if the Marines now consider me a threat, it has gone too far. If Astrid had been able to properly coordinate efforts with the soldiers before, things could have gone much better inside those caves."

"No shit."

"Agreed." said Coré. "Normally, I would say nothing could have survived that crash, but after everything I've seen today… well, let's just be ready."

"Yeah!" Hislpo punched his open hand, fire in his eyes. "Let's just hope that turian sorcerers die with a bullet inside their heads. Huh…" and he looked at Harry very uncomfortably, his battle focus replaced by embarrassment in an instant. "Do you… do magical people die with bullets? I mean, not that I plan to shoot you at all!" he put his hands up in a supplicant gesture, face flushed. "You seem like a very nice bro and all Ghost Man, but… you know…" Coré shook her head with a suffering expression.

Harry decided to cut him some slack. "Yes, Ben. Most magical creatures die if you put enough bullets into them."

"Great! I mean… not _great_, but…!" his blonde teammate slapped his head. "Shutting up, now."

The wizard allowed himself a brief smile, before he got serious. "All right, we need to move fellas. But first…" he turned and went to the door that connected to his lab. At his back, Coré and Hislop shot confused looks at each other, while Harper's eyes only narrowed. Harry opened the door and entered the room, the operatives right on his heels.

And he felt said soldiers all stop dead on their tracks when they looked upon the very conformable chair that stood in the middle of the room. The chair that contained the form of turian High Commander Mavis Vakarian, trapped to the seat by a Sticking Charm.

A very conscious and alert Mavis Vakarian, who scrutinized the wizard with her sharp gaze, mandibles tight against her jaw.

"So…" Harry crossed his arms, looking very much relaxed. With a wave of his wand, he unstuck the commander, who was startled when her limbs were suddenly freed. Slowly, she got up, not making any move to attack or run, just keeping her eyes locked with his own. Deep blue against bright green. "…did you get all that, Commander? Is there any point you would wish for me to clarify? I'm sorry, but we are on the clock, so any questions would have to be short."

With two more waves, he dispelled the Supersensory Charm that allowed most of the conversation that had taken place on the other rom to be heard, and also Vanished Vakarian's chair. The woman looked at the empty space for a moment, before turning back to him. She was calm and collected, just tilting her head in curiosity. "_If _it's all true, then why let me know?" was her simple question.

He had seen much of this woman's character up on her cruiser. A deep look into her mind before he had woken her confirmed many of his impressions. Time to make another gamble. "I will explain that in a moment, Commander. After that, I will give you a choice. And I'm sorry to say, but I suspect you won't be happy with either of your options." he warned her.

She still just gave him that curious tilt. "I don't doubt that, human. Care to tell me beforehand what options those might be?"

"Why, of course." he answered politely. "Your first option is that I wipe out the last few hours of your memories. I promise no harm you be done to your mind at all. You will simply awaken later and I will talk to you as if none of this had ever happened. From your perspective, it will be the truth."

If her gaze was penetrating before, its imperiousness more than doubled. Damn if the Commander could not give old Minerva McGonagall a run for her money.

"And my second option?" she asked calmly.

Harry tapped his wand against his arm, taking just a few seconds to answer. He could feel the three pairs of eyes burning holes in the back of his head. He was surprised they had kept their silence until now. "I hope you paid close attention to that last part of my little history lesson, Commander. Your second choice… is a deal. A deal between you and me."

"Tell me, what do you think about becoming a Custodian of Magic?"

* * *

Author Notes:

So there you have it; a good old info dump. Which makes me worried about how it will be received, but had to be taken out of the way so I could move on with the rest of the story.

This time, the delay had nothing to do with my schedule, the draft of the chapter was ready almost two weeks ago. It was simply me torturing myself over the chapter. I have an extremely high tolerance for overt exposition, enjoy it to be honest. The internal debate over how much to tell, how long those scenes got, and how dry they are, consumed my days. The chapter got hacked-up, re-patched, hacked-up again, and re-patched once more. In the end, it came out like this. As always, thank you very much for the reviews. Tell me what you thought about this one.

There is still much to tell, of course, but that will come in due time. And in far more palatable chunks, I promise.

Next chapter: Some action! Our heroes take a trip into no-man's land. It's time for our third faction to join the party.

Until next time,

Fish


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